Tangled in Death
by MogtheGnome
Summary: At Naruto's death, a Shinigami arrived to ensure that the Kyuubi was properly withdrawn and sent to hell. Of course, this being Naruto, it doesn't go as planned. NarutoBleach Crossover.
1. Chapter 1

Tangled In Death

By Ike/MogTheGnome

Disclaimer: If you recognize it, I don't own it. Naruto is owned by Kishimoto. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo.

Chapter 1

'Ya know... This kinda sucks.'

It had been a long battle.

'Damn, but what's gonna happen to me now?'

Things didn't go so well.

'I still haven't reached my goal! I'm not ready to die yet!'

Sometimes, you don't get a choice.

'... Well, I guess there ain't much more for me to do... I already failed the mission. I just wish...'

And with that, Uzumaki Naruto died.

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It was during the Sasuke Retrieval Mission.

Fight after fight, Naruto left a teammate behind, to deal with a superior foe. Each time he moved on, the foes grew stronger, culminating in the sheer monster that was Kimimaro.

Finally, he made it to Sasuke.

Words wouldn't, couldn't convince the Uchiha to return. So Naruto decided that his fists would have to be good enough.

Down at the wire, after curse seal activations and drawing on the Kyuubi, the two reared back, ready to lay the final blow.

Naruto aimed to subdue. Sasuke aimed to kill.

Only this time, instead of aiming for his chest... Sasuke hit Naruto's stomach.

Right at the top of the seal.

Most would be terrified that this would release the Kyuubi. It's a reasonable fear, given most people's knowledge of the seal's purpose.

But the seal is just the gateway that leads to the portion of Naruto's soul that the Kyuubi was placed in. It did not actually contain the Kyuubi itself.

Instead, damaging the seal as Sasuke did cut off the Kyuubi's ability to reach out into Naruto's body.

Cutting off his regeneration.

Kabuto arrived, and picked up Sasuke's body.

But Naruto?

Naruto died.

'But, I've found... Death is really only the beginning.'

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'I don't quite know what I was expecting death to be like... But it certainly wasn't this...'

Naruto found himself not minding being a ghost... He could fly around, which was a lot of fun. He supposed that this must be what shock was; but whatever the reason, Naruto found he wasn't having that much trouble adjusting his mindset to that of being deceased.

However... It was kind of sad, watching Kakashi find his body. The man just look so downcast, that Naruto started feeling a little loved.

He even planned on following Kakashi back to Konoha, too.

Before, that is, he was interrupted.

"Ahem. You are Uzumaki Naruto, correct?"

Naruto stopped, midfloat.

'Someone... Someone can see me?'

He turned to face where the voice came from, and was pleasantly shocked.

Shocked to see a woman, dressed in a long black robe, floating in the air behind him.

"You can see me? And yeah, I'm Naruto. Who are you?"

The girl drew herself up. She was fairly short, but still a head taller then Naruto. She was, Naruto noted, quite attractive, in a refined sort of way. A pair of oval glasses perched on an angular face, and she carried a large book.

She answered, rather primly, "My name is Fukutaicho Ise Nanao, of the 8th Division of Gotei 13... And I'm here to send you to Soul Society."

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'I never knew death was so complicated...'

Naruto had immediately begun firing questions at the girl, after her introduction.

"What's Soul Society? What are the Gotei 13? How can you see me?"

So Nanao began to patiently explain.

She told Naruto what Soul Society was ('It's where the souls of good people go to, when a Shinigami performs konso on them. Konso is the act of sending a soul on its way.'). She explained the basics of what the 13 Divisions did ('Basically, we eliminate hollows and cleanse souls. Hollows are... Really bad souls.'). She even explained how she could see Naruto ('Just like you, I too am merely a spiritual presence.').

Nanao answered all the questions calmly and nicely. Because she knew this was a delicate case... She had been sent on this specific konso for a reason.

After all, it would take at least a master of Kido on the level of a Fukutaicho to ensure that the Kyuubi no Kitsune was sent to Hell.

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After some deliberation, Nanao was chosen to be sent on this specific cleansing... She was to ensure that the consciousness of the Kyuubi was to be sent to Hell, while ensuring a lot of its reishi remained with Naruto. This was to ensure that the Kyuubi was not able to just break its way back out of hell, or take over, or something.

The Elemental Countries were just one of the areas that the Shinigami patrolled, though due to the abundance of Chakra users, there were exceptionally few Hollows roaming. Most were in control enough of their internal energies to fight the Hollow Transformation long enough for a Shinigami to arrive...

But those that didn't... Well, they spawned the Hollows that after building up as Gillian, would become known as the Biju. Terrifying Menos on a level that was rarely seen.

Because there was such a huge abundance of energy in most everything, the Elemental Countries were a veritable buffet for a Hollow. Luckily, the Elemental Countries were located quite far from any gates to Hueco Mundo, making it hard for a Hollow to get there unimpeded. Most didn't even know it existed, and those that did tended to be killed on the journey.

So ensuring that the Kyuubi would be unable to break free from Hell, and possibly alert the Hollow population to the presence of such rich eating, was of high priority.

After patiently answering all of Naruto's questions (a patience she had developed from dealing with her new captains... advances), she explained to him what she was going to do.

"Naruto... I need to remove part of the Kyuubi from you. I need you to relax, and not interrupt me. Just stay still, and this should be over quickly."

Naruto was embarrassed... Even as a ghost, he found he could still blush.

Standing around without a shirt in front of a pretty older girl (not that Naruto knew exactly how much older then Nanao was... He just knew she looked a couple years older) would do that to your average 13 year old boy.

Especially when she had her hands on your stomach.

In fact, it felt so weird, that Naruto began to twitch. It felt kind of ticklish, now that he thought about it.

Nanao opened up a gate to Hell.

This caused Naruto to start twitching even more.

Then Nanao moved her hands a little. She was actually moving the Kyuubi out of the seal, but Naruto didn't know that.

All he knew was she was tickling him now.

He couldn't help himself... He began to laugh.

And screwed Nanao up.

"Oh no!"

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There was a bright flash of light.

The gate disappeared.

At first, Nanao thought it was just her imagination, and that nothing was wrong.

She could tell that the Kyuubi's mind was gone... He had been fighting her the whole way through the process, and she knew that she had managed to get him through the gate.

She began exploring the remainders of the broken seal with her reishi. After finding no trace of the Kyuubi, she was satisfied. There was a whole lot more of the Kyuubi's reishi floating around in Naruto then she had planned on leaving him, but that wasn't a problem.

But then she tried to pull away.

And found that a portion of her reishi was stuck; caught up somehow in the seal. She could pull her hands away, and everything felt fine... But a portion of her reishi, however small, seemed to be stuck behind on something in the seal.

So she decided that she would cast a minor destruction kido on that aspect of the seal.

Only to get entangled worse.

After two more failed attempts, she decided to give up on it. She wasn't physically attached to the kid, or anything... But part of her energies seemed to be.

She stopped when she did, because she realized that she had gotten so entangled with Naruto's reishi and the seal, that it seemed she could utilize some of the Kyuubi's reishi, too.

Naruto could feel her presence, now. Before, he couldn't even sense what she was doing to the seal.

But now... It almost felt warm. Comforting, even. Always before, chakra coming from the seal felt tainted... But now, it felt so much better.

"... That's not good."

Before Naruto could ask, Nanao reached into her sleeve, and pulled out her sword. She poked Naruto in the forehead with the butt of her sword.

As Naruto disappeared... Nanao felt herself disappearing, too.

As she feared she would.

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"What the hell? Was that konso?"

Naruto appeared, in what looked to be a densely populated town.

People didn't even seem to give him a second glance, just going about their business. As if it was completely normal for a confused stranger to appear in their midst.

Which, on later thought, it probably was.

"We are in the 21st district of Rukongai."

"Oh, you came with me? I thought you said you'd be sending me along by myself?"

Nanao sighed.

"Well, Naruto... Things have changed. Something went wrong with the seal... You're going to have to come with me to Seireitei, where we can have someone else examine it."

"What's the problem? The... The Kyuubi still isn't in there, is he?"

"No... But it seems that, well... It doesn't matter. Let's be on our way now."

Naruto was confused by Nanao's manner. He had never really met a girl who acted as she did. Most of the girls he knew lived in extremes, whether it be Sakura or Hinata. Sakura's mood swings and Hinata's pathological shyness were nothing at all like Nanao's prim and proper manner.

She acted like she expected Naruto to comply with everything she said, simply because it was what he was supposed to do.

And, well... That IS pretty much why he did what she said.

He was also too busy taking in all the new info to do anything else. Having someone come along and make sure he was doing everything right was rather nice.

So he hurried on after her, marveling that a girl who seemed only a few years older then him knew so much, and seemed to be so powerful. Especially with the way all the villagers respectively moved out of her way.

If only he knew how old she REALLY was...

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"Ah, Nanao-chan... You're back! And you've brought me a visitor? How kind of you... I was just looking for someone to share some sake with me..."

Naruto looked at the oddly dressed man, reclining on a mat with a sake bottle and a few cups in front of him.

'What kind of man wears that much pink?'

Of course, his question was quickly answered, when Nanao seemingly pulled a fan out of nowhere and thwapped him on the nose.

"Enough, Taicho... This boy is much too young for you to corrupt! He is Uzumaki Naruto... The former Kyuubi vessel. And, uh... We have reached a technical difficulty."

"A technical difficulty? What could have happened that you need my help for?"

"It seems we've been... entangled. The seal had some form of safeguard that I was unaware of. I do not have the clearance necessary to discover which Shinigami created the seal. If I could find who made it, I could get them to help me figure out what went wrong."

Nanao was reaching the end of her patience. Naruto had been rather chatty, asking her far too many questions for her to keep up with. He clearly did not know how to act with the proper decorum.

Of course, neither did Shunsui.

Because there was only one thing he seemed to focus on, in what Nanao said.

"What do you mean, entangled?"

Author's Notes: I got the idea of a Naruto/Nanao pairing into my head a while ago, and since I wanted to branch out from straight Naruto, I figured I might as well write it. Nanao is a severely underused character in fan fiction, which I've always disliked; to me, she's one of the more (if not the most) attractive girls in Bleach.

This story is an exercise in characterization for me… This first chapter is meant to set up the scene, and from here on out, it'll continue through developing Naruto and Nanao's characters.

Next chapter we'll find out who made the seal (And, really… If ya think about it, you'll be able to figure out who would end up going to go fight the Kyuubi), and what the future will look like for Naruto and Nanao. Since they're stuck together, and all that.

Comments? Criticisms? Leave Reviews!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

'Why is she explaining so much? What's so important about what she's doing that she's answering all of my questions?'

It wasn't something Naruto was used to. Most of his teachers had just ignored him... That didn't stop him from asking questions, mind you. They were just rarely answered.

But Naruto was pretty damn confused. Upset. Angry. He had just died, and for absolutely nothing.

Sasuke had gotten away. And as far as Naruto knew, every single one of his friends might have died on the way. He hoped that they didn't... But he just didn't know.

And then out of nowhere, bam! This girl comes and says she's here to help him.

'I'm a Shinigami... This is my job.'

But Naruto was sure that if she was Death... Well, he wasn't sure why people were so scared of her.

Of course, Naruto immediately asked if she was THE Death god, which Nanao answered to the negative.

And began his first introduction to Soul Society.

Frankly, to Naruto... It sounded like a pretty nice place.

You lived out the existence of your afterlife, before being reincarnated once more on the human plane. Rukongai, the various districts of which surrounded Seireitei, the Court of Pure Souls, sounded just like any other city. Or set of cities, since they were rather huge.

They were good parts and bad, and generally if you worked hard, you could move on up.

He was sure this Nanao was leaving stuff out... But hey, it sounded cool.

Especially being a Shinigami... You got a neat sword and everything! You went out, saved souls, and fought demons. To Naruto, that sounded like a pretty good life.

'Yup... Just add Ramen, and it'd be perfect.'

Of course, that immediately prompted Naruto's next question, 'Is there Ramen in Soul Society?'

Nanao went about answering his questions, telling Naruto all about the Gotei 13, and how each had different purposes, however slight they might be. He even laughed when Nanao described her own division, at the way she frowned a little when she used her own Captain's description of the division.

'Poets and dreamers, eh?'

Naruto immediately noticed that about Nanao; she took herself very seriously, and expected everyone else to act at that level, too. Very prim and proper, without being pompous or arrogant. She didn't seem to have much of a sense of humor, though.

But Naruto listened to what she had to say... It was, after all, quite possibly the single most informative lecture of his entire life.

After all, how many other people out there had the entirety of death explained to them by a pretty girl who called herself a Shinigami?

Well, a lot of people did... But Naruto didn't know that.

So as Nanao answered his questions, Naruto became more relaxed. She really seemed to care about his well-being, which was a little disconcerting.

Then she explained why exactly she was here, and what she had to do.

And it all came together to Naruto.

His first impulse was disgust... 'People only ever seem to be interested in the Kyuubi, not me...'

He didn't let it show, though, and continued to think it out.

'But... If she was only here for the Kyuubi, why did she spend so much time explaining everything to me?'

The more he thought about it, the more it made him think on WHY Nanao was being so nice.

And then Nanao reached the part where she would be leaving behind the Kyuubi's reishi ('Just think of reishi like chakra... It's sort of the same thing, but not quite.')

And then he thought he understood again.

'So she wants me to do something for her afterwards? Does she want me to do something with the Kyuubi's chakra? Or reishi, whatever?'

But Nanao didn't seem to want anything of him.

In fact, the only thing she mentioned about his future was that he would almost definitely be sent to the Shinigami Academy, so that he too could become a Shinigami. Or, as she put it after Naruto looked puzzled over it, 'You'll learn how to fight demons and use a sword.'

Which, even if he might be manipulated into it, sounded pretty cool to Naruto.

And then she asked him to take off his shirt.

It wasn't THAT big of a deal. He'd gone swimming in his boxers around Sakura-chan before, after all. But the way she put it, as if it was completely normal for a boy his age to undress around a woman hers, put him off a bit.

So he was understandably nervous when she placed her hands around the seal.

It got even worse after she opened a gate to Hell.

It scared the crap out of Naruto, he wasn't afraid to say. Or think, rather. Because he certainly didn't want to distract Nanao from whatever she was doing.

Anything to rid himself of the Kyuubi was good in his book.

Especially if it would render the Fox powerless, so that it couldn't take over Hell or something after being sent.

But then, Nanao started the second phase of her technique.

And it started to tickle.

Naruto had to fight down the laughter... But to no avail.

He chuckled. It was most definitely a chuckle, and not a giggle. Because guys don't giggle.

Unfortunately, that 'chuckle' wasn't such a good thing.

Nanao had just removed the Kyuubi... But his chuckle caused a reflex action throughout his body, much the same way a sneeze does.

In the same way that a sneeze makes you close your eyes... His chuckle clenched his reishi. Due to the way his reishi was being manipulated by someone else, as well as the seal being tampered with (on top of it being damaged)... Well, it all came together that Nanao got stuck.

Of course, before he could even ask about what had happened (and how he could feel an energy attached to him that was most definitely not his), Nanao poked him with a sword she produced from nowhere.

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"What the hell? Was that Konso?"

And so Naruto appeared, in the 21st district of Rukongai. It looked like a fairly nice, upper-middle class town.

He found it odd that no one even gave him a second glance, but he shrugged it off as them being used to it.

Of course, the second Nanao appeared behind him... People began to take notice.

If anyone were to ask Naruto why he wanted to become a Shinigami in the first place, he'd give an answer like "I get to kick Hollow ass!" or "I have to defend human souls from Hollows."

But the real reason was that he saw the respect that everyone just gave to Nanao.

The respect that he had craved his whole life. They saw her uniform, and immediately acknowledged her as someone worthy of respect, of recognition.

Of course, Naruto hadn't expected Nanao to follow... And when questioned, Nanao admitted something went wrong.

'Of course... things always go wrong in my life... Especially when the Kyuubi is involved.'

But Naruto bounced back, when Nanao said that they were going to go get it fixed. Whatever 'it' was.

So they walked.

And Naruto saw the progression in quality of living as they walked.

Nanao gave him a mini-tour as they went, explaining the various districts as they passed through them.

'She'd make a pretty good teacher, with how much she likes to talk about boring stuff.'

And then they reached Seireitei.

And Naruto was left awestruck.

Not at how beautiful the place was (which it was), or how many Shinigami walked the streets.

No, he was shocked at seeing how goddamn big a person could get.

That Jidanbou guy was freaking huge!

After entering Seireitei, they began to encounter people that actually knew who Nanao was. And it impressed Naruto even more, because they all gave her a level of respect Naruto rarely saw amongst ninjas.

And it made Naruto respect her even more, though it wasn't something conscious.

Of course, there were some... Odd moments, but for the most part, the walk to the 8th Division Headquarters was fairly routine.

'Talking to that creepy white-faced guy was even worse then talking to Orochimaru! And he kept on going on about wanting to experiment on me...'

Of course, Nanao told Kurotsuchi-taicho (as Naruto found out he was) that Naruto wasn't available for that sort of thing...

But it didn't stop Naruto from wondering how on earth the guy had found him.

'He must have some kind of 'weird radar' that lets him know when someone interesting comes by, or something. Orochimaru would have loved something like that...'

After being accosted by one of Nanao's friends from the Shinigami's Women's Association, Naruto was shocked to see someone who had breasts that could compete against Tsunade's.

'And she flaunted them even more... I can't believe she called me a 'cute little kid', though. I wonder who her captain is, if he's apparently as small as me.'

Naruto was too flustered by the woman ('s chest) to really reply (mainly because they hung out so goddamn much), though.

But finally, before any other of the stranger members of Soul Society could find them (and, with Yachiru and Kenpachi wandering around looking for the 11th division HQ, it was entirely possible that Naruto could have met weirder people), they arrived at the 8th division.

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'I'm old enough to drink Sake here?'

Naruto met Kyoraku Shunsui. Just looking at the man, Naruto wasn't that impressed.

He was, after all, lying on a mat with a pink haori draped over him, a bamboo hat on his head, and a bottle of Sake in front of him.

But after watching the man tease Nanao a bit, he was actually a little impressed.

'I wish I could have pulled of that sort of thing with Sakura-chan...'

It was one of those things were Naruto remembered to look 'underneath the underneath'; Shunsui's easy manner was too jovial, and he suspected there was a lot more to him then there seemed.

But finally, Nanao had explained what was wrong.

'She's... attached to me? She's the odd chakra... reishi I've been feeling?'

Of course, this caused Shunsui to look long and hard at him.

Naruto was shocked at the sudden change in atmosphere, as Shunsui just sat, staring at him.

Almost as if he was judging him...

"Isn't he a little young for you, Nanao-chan?"

... Which apparently he was.

This caused Nanao to smack Shunsui on the nose again.

"Taicho, just come and take us to the archives, and look up who made that seal, so we can get this fixed."

Naruto looked on as Shunsui sighed, and stood up. Naruto was actually shocked a little at how big Shunsui seemed to be when he stood... He had quite the presence.

Of course, Naruto wouldn't know that he was also vaguely sensing the man's reishi... He just knew that Shunsui seemed to be a lot stronger all of the sudden.

"I guess we should go, then."

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Shunsui took them to the records building, which was luckily nearby their HQ.

After easily getting past the guards, they obtained permission to look up the needed info.

"... Nanao-chan... I don't think you'll believe this when you hear it..."

Of course, it didn't mean that the news was GOOD news.

"... What do you mean, Taicho?"

"Well... The sealing of a Hollow as powerful as the Kyuubi is something that would only be left up to a Captain, correct?"

"Yes."

"Well, among all the current captains... Which one do you think would be the only one to volunteer to go after a hollow as powerful as that?"

"... You're not saying..."

Naruto wasn't quite sure what he was missing here, but it certainly seemed dire.

"Yes. It was Zaraki Kenpachi that sealed the Kyuubi... Or rather, it was Kenpachi that held off the Kyuubi, while YACHIRU applied the seal."

"... That's not good."

"So, uh... What happens now?"

The two Shinigami looked at Naruto.

Shunsui sighed.

"Well, Naruto-kun... Unless Yachiru-fukutaicho can remember what exactly she did... We will probably seeing each other quite a lot in the near future."

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'At least the boy listens to me.'

Nanao had understood the importance of the mission she was given.

She hadn't expected the person bearing the seal to be so young, though.

Nanao was at the later end of her teen years, maturity-wise... Though any who knew her would be shocked to here so, as she acted far older then she was.

Shinigami aged much slower then normal souls, and that correlated into how they matured. Depending on when one died (or was born, if they were born within Soul Society), one could have a childhood that lasts hundreds of years.

Nanao had died fairly young, and had spent a good 5 years in the 15th district of Rukongai before being picked up by a pair of Shinigami.

It would be the first of many meetings she had with Kyoraku Shunsui and Ukitake Jyushiro.

She was always a serious child, and was equally studious in her time at the Academy. She had graduated with honors, at the top of her class.

There weren't that many other notables in her class, which made her stand out even more. Just a little earlier, and she would have competed with Hisagi Shuhei. A few years after, she would have been in Renji's, Kira's, and Hinamori's class.

She spent her time mastering Kido, a field she found to be more tasteful then Zanjutsu. She was more then decent with her sword, but even when fighting, her Zanpakuto lent itself more towards Kido use then swordplay.

And when she graduated, she was snatched up by the thirteenth division.

She served a brief stint as the 8th seat in the 13th division, where she spent her time observing Kaien Shiba manage the whole division due to Ukitake's illness. Nanao spent her time aside from work training, particularly with her Zanpakuto. Her time was well spent, for both the management tricks she learned from Kaien (who seemed to touch the lives of all he met), as well as getting in touch with her Zanpakuto.

And, when the former 8th division Fukutaicho was killed during what was supposed to be a routine mission, Nanao stepped forward, and demonstrated her mastery of Shikai.

It is commonly found by Shinigami that their Zanpakuto have similar personalities to their own. Often this gives the Shinigami something to overcome, as that means they have to deal with all their own personal flaws, in the form of their sword.

Nanao lucked out, in this case. Her sword had the same desire for perfection as she did, as well as the same general attitude. It gave her no backtalk the way that Matsumoto Rangiku's did, as long as Nanao was polite to it.

Nanao's mastery of Kido played well with her Zanpakuto, too. Even sealed, it took the form of a smallish Kodachi. This was rather appropriate, considering the Kodachi's reputation as a defensive weapon.

The sword's name was Bougoheki, and it manifested itself in the form of a golem. As suggested by its name, in its Shikai form, it could create a powerful, energy-based barrier centered on the Zanpakuto. The barrier itself was selectively-permeable, letting attacks come out from the inside, but allowing nothing from the outside to come in. An attack of sufficient force could break it, and the act of breaking it usually caused Nanao to pass out.

The downside, though, was that the barrier moved with the sword. This meant that Nanao was unable to fight with Zanjutsu with her Shikai activated. However, she was able to launch Kido spells through the shield. She demonstrated this before a panel of captains, and was thus promoted to being the 8th division Fukutaicho.

And soon found herself in the exact same position as Shiba Kaien- Having to take care of a Captain's work. Kaien's captain at least had the excuse of illness... Nanao's was just lazy.

So Nanao found her patience tested on a daily basis.

Dealing with a 13 year old boy? That was no problem, especially when the boy actually listened to her!

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Even though Naruto tried to hide some of it, Nanao saw as clear of day all his reactions to everything she said.

Frankly, she understood.

How terrible his youth must have been, with such a powerful Hollow sealed inside you, placed inside your soul with its reishi constantly being filtered into a usable form.

He must have been considered a weapon with amazing potential by his peers and superiors.

So Nanao did her best to try to relay that no one in Seireitei wanted to use him just for that.

Sure, she knew he was going to become a Shinigami. But that wasn't because they wanted to use him. It was for his own good! Seireitei was the only place where he could get a reliable meal! If one was dead and had reishi, one was a Shinigami. That's all there was to it.

But it didn't hurt to make sure he understood that.

Nanao understood how it felt to be used. She felt used on a constant basis, with how Shunsui dodged pretty much all the work he possibly could. Whenever Nanao was around, Shunsui made sure she handled the paperwork.

Oddly enough, though, the two had one of the better working relationships between captain and vice captain in all of the Gotei 13, surpassed only by the 10th and 11th Divisions. Shiba Kaien may do more work for his captain, but Nanao was sure she was more appreciated for her work by hers.

It was probably because, deep down, Nanao thought she could do a better job of handling the paperwork aspects of the job then Shunsui could. And Shunsui knew that. Knowing that she was a perfectionist, and knowing that she had a talent for handling management work... Shunsui put her to good use.

Nanao personally thought that he had the better end of the deal, though.

All in all... Nanao enjoyed her time in the 8th division far more then she did in the 13th. In the 13th, she wasn't as challenged intellectually as she was now. Sure, it gave her time to train herself... But she preferred the intellectual stimulation that running a division gave, rather then the spiritual enlightenment that meditation produced. Not that she didn't appreciate her time getting to know her Zanpakuto... She just felt she was ready for the new challenge.

So she stepped forward, ready to prove herself ready for more.

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Nanao reflected on her past, even as she gave a thorough lecture on the history of Rukongai to a mildly bored Uzumaki Naruto.

She was rather proud of Soul Society in general, and it showed when they reached the gates to Seireitei.

Watching Naruto stare in awe as the giant Jidanbou lifted the massive gate, Nanao could only think of how lucky he was that he was being sent straight to Seireitei, without dallying around anywhere else.

Keeping them on track was the highest priority, though.

Especially when Nanao seemed forced to go wherever Naruto went, and not the other way around.

So when people like Mayuri appeared, interested in the formerly Hollow Reishi that was filtered into Naruto's system... Nanao decided that they needed to hurry.

She didn't want to hang around the 12th division headquarters more then anyone else... Not with someone as creepy as Mayuri in charge. Nanao may like Nemu... But there was no way she could like the person that had made her the way she was. Even if that person was the one who made her in the first place.

So Nanao rushed Naruto along, wanting to figure out the problem and get everything to be the way it should be.

This meant finding out who made the seal.

This meant she needed a Captain, as information of that level was usually considered classified.

She just hoped that her Captain didn't corrupt Naruto when they met. The boy seemed to have some potential, with they way he paid attention to most everything she said. She often had to repeat herself for him, in simpler terms... But at least he tried.

It was more then most did.

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"That's not good..."

Nanao's mind raced to comprehend all the effects that the newest piece of knowledge created.

'If Yachiru made the seal... There is no way on earth she knew exactly what she was doing. And especially, there's no way she will know how to fix it.'

Nanao liked the little girl, who was so energetic and happy. Sure, she could get annoying if you spent too much time around her, but Nanao usually made sure that she was never in a situation like that with Yachiru to begin with.

Kenpachi... Kenpachi was someone that Nanao tried her best to never stay around. Intellectually, she knew that there were numerous Captains who could defeat Kenpachi in battle. However, Kenpachi was the only one who didn't keep his reishi reigned in, always letting some of it out no matter where he was or what he was doing. And Nanao was unusually sensitive to that sort of thing.

So being around Kenpachi always put Nanao on edge, and she preferred to not have the extra stress.

Nanao sighed.

"Well... We might as well go look for them. Perhaps they'll know how to solve the problem."

Nanao was shocked at her captain shaking his head, though. He rarely disagreed with decisions she made, though usually that was just out of laziness.

"Nanao-chan... This is something that needs to be brought to Yama-ji's attention. He's more likely to have the answer then those two would, anyway."

Muttering in disapproval at Shunsui's disrespectful way of addressing the Soutaicho, Nanao couldn't disagree with Shunsui's statement.

Because, chances are, the only thing that Yachiru would remember from the whole event anyway was that Kenpachi had fun fighting a giant fox.

Author's Notes: Since there is very little known about Nanao, I took several liberties in making her past.

We know she's not in the same age group as Renji and Co., but she doesn't look that much older then them. And since I don't want her to be too much older seeming then Naruto, I placed her as just slightly older then them.

I also made up everything about Nanao's Zanpakuto, other then the fact it's got a smaller then normal sealed form.

It plays in well with her skills, and its power would make sense if it IS a Kodachi, as they tend to be known as defensive weapons.

Bougoheki means 'Outer Wall', according to the translator I found online. Any better names, or correct translations (if mine turned out to be wrong), would be appreciated. Also, let me know if it feels overpowered... I tried to give it reasonable limits, but then, some Shikai suck (like Renji's), and some kick major ass (like Byakuya's or Kira's). It's sort of a crapshoot, i guess.

In regards to when this happens in the series… I'd say that it's around the time that Renji was transferred to the 11th division. Maybe 50 or so years before it starts… Naruto will look a little bit older then Ichigo will, but be about the same age.

Next chapter will have the group going before Yamamoto, who will also summon in Kenpachi and Yachiru, to try and figure out the problem.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"The Soutaicho will see you now."

As the vice-captain of the 1st division led them in, Naruto thought about what he had been told of the situation.

'So Nanao is attached to me? Does that mean she has to follow me around and stuff? Does that mean I won't be able to go to Shinigami School, or will she have to come along?'

He wasn't sure of much that was going on, but none of it seemed to be THAT bad. After all, it didn't sound like either of them was dying, or something.

Naruto nearly laughed at that. 'Heh... How bad can dying be, when you're already dead?'

The first thing that Naruto thought when he saw Yamamoto was 'That guys old!'

"Yama-ji, how are you doing?"

And apparently it was ok to address him informally. Naruto was in the habit of addressing figures of authority in very informal manners, so that wasn't a problem.

But then again, Shunsui was probably the ONLY person in all of Soul Society to actually call Yamamoto that, so perhaps Naruto was misunderstanding the situation a little.

After Shunsui and Yamamoto exchanged pleasantries, they got down to business.

Nanao stepped forward, and briefly described the problem.

"... And after performing konso, I found myself being dragged along behind him."

Yamamoto turned, and stared at Naruto.

To Naruto, the tension just seemed to thicken... He felt the need to break it… Especially because all the focus seemed to be on him.

So he asked a question that had been bothering him for a while.

"Hey, Yama-ji... Why isn't there a problem with me having the Kyuubi's reishi? Isn't it Hollow reishi? Wouldn't that be bad?"

Of course, Nanao hit HIM on the nose with her fan, for daring to address the Soutaicho so informally. Shunsui burst out laughing, and the ice was clearly broken between him and 'Old Man Yamamoto'.

"Well, Naruto, yes, that would normally be a problem. However, the sealing process you underwent was a magnificent thing, specially crafted to filter the Kyuubi's reishi into that of whoever bore the seal. It has its downsides, though, especially when one is still alive... Or when the seal in question gets damaged, as has seemingly occurred. Even more shocking is that it was created by a human, yet requires a Shinigami to enforce it..."

Just as the old man finished his explanation, his door burst open.

In walked what had to be one scariest people Naruto had ever seen, with a little pink haired girl attached to his shoulder.

"Look, Ken-chan, we made it! I told you we should have turned left earlier!"

"Yeah, you were right, Yachiru. So, what did ya summon us for, Taicho?"

And thus Naruto was introduced to Kenpachi and Yachiru. It was odd... Naruto could honestly say he had never met a single person in his entire life like Kenpachi. Even at first sight, he knew that.

If Naruto could vaguely sense Shunsui's reishi, he thought he was going to be burned by the blaze that Kenpachi casually put out.

Of course, Naruto wasn't the type to be easily intimidated. Or threatened.

In fact, it didn't even feel like intimidation, or a threat. No, it felt like Kenpachi meant it as a challenge.

And Uzumaki Naruto never loses.

So as Kenpachi greeted the Soutaicho, Naruto began calling on his own reishi…

… Causing Kenpachi to cut himself off mid-sentence, to swivel his head down at the kid to the side.

"Who's the kid, Taicho? He seems... interesting."

Naruto watched as the small pink-haired girl dropped off the huge man's back.

And walk over to him.

For the third time since he had entered Soul Society today, he had the distinct feeling he was being judged... This time it was the most overt, as Yachiru was clearly studying him.

When she reached over to his mouth, to try and check out his teeth (or at least Naruto hoped that was what she was doing), Naruto had enough.

That was also when Yachiru decided she had finished studying Naruto.

"Are you here to fight Ken-chan? I think you're a little small for that, Kiroi-kiroi!"

"Who are you calling too small, girl? I'm at least a foot taller then you!"

Before the scene could devolve into any more madness (read: Before Kenpachi decided to step in and stomp on the boy insulting Yachiru), Yamamoto cleared his throat.

And gained everyone's immediate attention.

Well, everyone's but Naruto... But when he noticed that everyone else turned to face the old man, he did too.

"Ahem... Kenpachi, do you remember a little while back when you and Yachiru were sent on the mission to seal the Hollow, Kyuubi no Kitsune?"

"Yes! Ken-chan had so much fun beating up the big ol' fox!"

Yamamoto looked down at Yachiru, and smiled.

"Fukutaicho... Do you happen to remember what you were doing on the mission?"

"Well... I was cheering Ken-chan on... And I was drawing some doodles with my stencils on the baby I was told to watch!"

"... Stencils?"

"Wait a second! Are you saying SHE drew the seal on me? She's can't be older then 8!"

Naruto was shocked. That little kid drew his seal? There ain't no way that was true!

Nanao spoke up. "Naruto... Yachiru-fukutaicho is older then I am."

At Naruto's gasp of surprise, Nanao continued.

"If you recall, I told you that people with reishi aged slower then those without... Yachiru-fukutaicho has actively trained reishi since she could crawl."

"So you better remember that, Kiroi-kiroi! Or I'll send you to your room, or something!"

"My name's not Kiroi-kiroi, damnit! It's Naruto!"

"Ahem... Yachiru, you said something about a stencil?"

"Oh, yeah... Well, I wanted the seal to look pretty, and the human who contracted us didn't specify what he wanted it to look like... So I just took out one of my stencils and drew it on!"

'... My seal was traced on by a hyperactive 8 year old? Who's actually like 20 something?'

Naruto looked down at his stomach; the seal that had been applied, apparently via crayon and stencil, had begun to fade immediately after Nanao had removed the Kyuubi. Not because it wasn't there... But because he know longer had the body component of his chakra. Without that, he couldn't mold any chakra, and that thus couldn't make the seal visible.

Or so Nanao had told him. He just took her word for it.

But because of that... Those stencils were of the highest priorities. Without them, anyone working with the seal would be flying blind.

"Do you still have those stencils?"

"Nope! I lost them last year, in that, err, freak accident fire that burned down part of the 11th division head quarters. The one that I most definitely did not cause. Especially not with an oven. Or cookies, that I might have been making for a Women's Society meeting-"

"I understand, Yachiru. Well, this is most certainly a dilemma."

With that, Yamamoto gave Kenpachi a bare bones version of what had happened.

Immediately after, Kenpachi began to laugh.

"Getting yourself stuck to a girl so young, eh? That's moving fast!"

"That's what I told him too, Kenpachi. Especially with my Nanao-chan..."

Nanao sighed.

Naruto got flustered.

"This isn't my fault! I didn't mean to do that! You take that back!"

And unconsciously started flexing more of his reishi.

A lot more. Especially because the Kyuubi's reishi was now his reishi... There was a whole lot more then even Naruto was used to.

Kenpachi grinned...

"Well, kid... You've got the reishi... But do ya got the skill?"

... And began to draw his sword.

"None of that in here, Kenpachi..."

Nanao sighed again, thankful that at least the Soutaicho could keep Kenpachi out of trouble.

"Then we'll take this outside, one eye!"

'Uh oh.'

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Nothing seemed to work.

After a succesfull opening attack (which Kenpachi outright LET him have), Naruto was immediately put on the defensive.

He had to dodge... It was dodge or die.

Because One-Eye seemed pretty keen on hitting him, with that jagged sword of his.

'Damn, this guy's crazy!'

So Naruto drew on his reishi, attempting to use it the same way he would chakra. Using it to power up his movements wasn't nearly as effective as he thought it should be, though it DID work.

He kept on trying to use Kage Bunshin, forgetting that it wouldn't work.

Naruto didn't realize how damn good of a job he was doing. There was no one in Soul Society he could take Kenpachi on, using solely Hakudo... Not at the moment, at least. And the number that could actually connect with his body with their attacks, piercing through his aura of reishi to the body within... That number was essentially limited to Captains and Vice-captains, and Kenpachi's own 3rd and 5th seat.

Naruto was definitely impressing Kenpachi.

Which would only lead to trouble for Nanao.

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'At least they made it here quickly...'

Nanao was used to Yachiru's little quirks, especially since she was the newly elected vice-president of Yachiru's 'Shinigami Women's Association'. The girl was cute and excitable, and very funny to watch... As long as she wasn't focused on you.

Kenpachi... Not so much.

Nanao wasn't that surprised at Yachiru's immediate nick-naming of Naruto. Yachiru did that to most everyone, at least once.

Nor was she surprised at Naruto's reaction to it. Yachiru's nicknames tended to leave a lot to be desired, in the creativity department.

'And, of course, she doesn't still have the stencils.'

She didn't expect Yachiru to, but she could hope. Now with that hope killed, Nanao began to think of all the implications.

'I seem to be attached to the seal, and it dragged me along after him when he was sent to Soul Society. Perhaps that means I won't be able to leave for the living world? Or maybe he'd be dragged a long behind me?

'Either way... He won't be able to attend the Academy. I need the freedom of movement that he being perched in a classroom won't allow. But he also must be taught how to be a Shinigami... Has something like this ever happened before?'

Of course, before Nanao could speak up, she was brought back to the present by Naruto and Kenpachi's argument.

"Well, kid... You've got the reishi... But do ya got the skill?"

"None of that in here, Kenpachi..."

Nanao sighed again, thankful that at least the Soutaicho could keep Kenpachi out of trouble.

"Then we'll take this outside, one eye!"

'Uh-oh'.

Nanao could only palm her face, thinking of how the situation had managed to devolve so quickly.

'Does anyone even bother to follow the rules anymore?'

What made it worse was how both her Taicho and the Soutaicho seemed to be so amused about it.

And so Nanao followed the group out, not stopping the situation because both of her superiors seemed content to let it play out.

And there was no way that Nanao was going to get between Kenpachi and anything he wanted to fight.

'Besides... We aren't that far from the fourth division... We can get Naruto there quickly enough, once this is done.'

Nanao didn't expect it to last that long. Heck, she didn't expect Naruto to be able to HIT Kenpachi. Most people couldn't damage him, even with their Zanpakutos.

And Naruto didn't even have one of those... Only his fists.

So it was, out in front of the first division headquarters, that Zaraki Kenpachi and Uzumaki Naruto stood facing each other, ready to fight.

"Heh, kid. You got guts. I'll even let ya get the first hit in... See if ya can even hurt me."

'That man needs some serious help... Some counseling, at the least. It's no wonder that the 11th division has the reputation that it does with that man leading it.'

"You don't need to give me any advantages! Uzumaki Naruto doesn't give up... Believe it!"

And with that, he rushed forward... A lot faster then Nanao had expected.

It wasn't shunpo fast... But it was as fast as a seasoned Shinigami could move without resorting to the Flash Step.

Nanao was also surprised at something else... Reishi seemed to be pouring off Naruto, the same way that it did Kenpachi. Nanao expected that it had something to do with both his former occupation, and the presence of so much reishi in his system.

And she was even more shocked when not only did Naruto's blow connect... It connected right with Kenpachi's nose.

Of course, Naruto was probably the most surprised one, as Kenpachi's smile grew even bigger, and he started to laugh.

"Ooohh, Ken-chan looks like he's gonna have some fun!"

Nanao looked down to see Yachiru next to her, cheering on Kenpachi as she usually did.

Even as Yachiru said that, Kenpachi rushed forward to begin the fight in earnest... Zanpakuto held at the ready.

Nanao stood silently, watching the battle, even as Yachiru chattered on.

"Poor boy, having to fight Ken-chan before even getting a sword! But he seems to be doing a good job dodging!"

'Dodging... He's fleeing for his life!'

Naruto looked more then a little freaked out, as he quickly backpedaled away from the madman, who was cackling even as he swung his sword about.

Unfortunately, the more Naruto dodged, the angrier Kenpachi got.

"Is that all you got, boy? I've seen little girls who put up better fights then you!"

Which pissed Naruto off again.

"You ain't seen nothing, One-eye!"

Nanao wasn't quite sure what Naruto was planning... She had made it clear to him, when he asked, that none of his old techniques would work. All of his old techniques required chakra, and sine he was dead, he could no longer use chakra. Lacking the body half of his energy meant that they would all be unusable.

Of course, Naruto seemed to be more then decent with Hakudo, and rather fast even without shunpo.

There was also the fact that he had an almost palpable aura of reishi surrounding him, which was probably the result of him trying to utilize reishi to power up his body the same way that on would use chakra to speed one up or power up blows.

Reishi didn't quite work like that... Using reishi as Naruto did was far too inefficient to be cost-effective, and used up too much reishi to be worth it. He was just pouring it off himself in waves, perhaps attempting to emulate Kenpachi's aura of reishi.

'Of course... Most also do not have as impressive of reiatsu as Naruto seems to have.'

And of the few who did... The man he was fighting was the only one who flaunted it.

Nanao could feel the beginnings of a head-ache coming on... Kenpachi did that to her, with how much he put out. Naruto doing the same wasn't helping any, or so she thought.

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"Stop dodging, kid, and fight!"

As far as Nanao could see, Naruto was frustrated about something. Probably a lack of his usual abilities... Most of those who trained to be Shinigami were dead long enough that they had forgotten a lot about their past life. Naruto, though... He was fresh. From a life that had apparently been based on fighting.

So it was understandable that he kept on reaching for his old techniques, forgetting that they wouldn't work.

"That's it! I don't care if I can't use my ninjutsu anymore... I'll kick your ass anyway!"

And with that, Naruto leapt forward, straight into Kenpachi's face.

Only to be swatted away, again.

"You got potential, kid! Everyone else here is to big a pansy to fight me straight up... You don't even have a zanpakuto yet to fight with, and you still attack."

"Just gimme time and I'll kick your ass!"

But it was clear, even to Naruto that he wasn't. Not yet, at least.

Nanao's mind was still racing across the possibilities of the future... If Naruto could not be sent to the Shinigami Academy, not without dragging her along... He would probably have to be taught by her. But due to her responsibilities, Nanao couldn't teach fulltime... Which would mean someone else would also have to teach him.

Especially in fields that Nanao didn't specialize in... Like Zanjutsu.

And frankly, if Nanao had to choose... She'd put ANYONE in, say, Shunsui's hands, before putting them with Kenpachi.

And she didn't trust Shunsui to do basic paperwork...

The Soutaichi stepped forward.

"Kenpachi... That's enough. I think we've all seen what Naruto can do... And without any training in how to do it, either. There's one last thing I need to know before any decision can be made."

Yamamoto gestured Shunsui forward, even as Nanao thought, 'He let Naruto get beat up... for a test?'

"See how far away you can get Naruto, Shunsui."

Shunsui grinned, walked over to the panting Naruto, and slung him over his shoulder.

And began to walk away.

Nanao could literally FEEL Naruto getting farther away... Her reishi began to feel stretched, almost like a bungee cord.

And when Naruto got about 100 yards away, Nanao's reishi 'snapped', and she disappeared, to reappear at Shunsui's side.

When the three got back, and Naruto finally got Shunsui to release him, Yamamoto sighed.

"Well... If Naruto can't be over a 100 yards away from you, Fukutaicho... He won't be able to attend the Academy without you being there. I assume you would have objections to becoming a teacher there?"

Before Nanao could even respond, Yamamoto continued.

"No... It's been quite a long time since it's been done, but it seems that Naruto will have to be taught outside of the Academy. And it seems that you would be the most likely teacher, would it not?"

Naruto looked over at Nanao, a little stunned, a little confused.

Nanao had seen it coming, though. And knew there was only one real response she could think up.

"Yes it would, Soutaicho."

"Bah, let me have the kid! I'd turn him into a first rate fighter, no problem!"

'What?!'

Nanao hadn't expected Kenpachi to speak up... And frankly, that sounded like the worst possible scenario. If Naruto was around Kenpachi... That'd mean she was around Kenpachi. And Soul Society did not need ANOTHER Kenpachi running around.

And what scared Nanao even more, was the thoughtful expression Naruto had on his face...

So, panicked, Nanao spoke up.

"No, uh, that won't be necessary. I'll teach him what he needs to know."

"Hah! I've seen your zanjutsu... It's barely at the level of a seated officer! This kid definitely ain't a kido type!"

'Why won't he drop it?!'

And now even the Soutaicho seemed to be considering it!

So Nanao had to play her desperation move...

"Well, Kyoraku-taicho can handle any teaching that I can't."

... Because even teaching the kid to act like Shunsui was far more preferable then having him act like Kenpachi.

Yamamoto turned towards Shunsui.

"Would you be willing to help teach the child?"

"Oh, Nanao-chan, what faith you have in me! How can I say no to such a request?"

Nanao sighed. At least that seemed to be over...

"Are you sure? I think One-Eye over there would be a better teacher then Flower-taicho..."

... Even the boy was against her in this!

"... Naruto, you doubt my teaching abilities? I was the personal student to Yama-ji... I will teach you to be the strongest Shinigami you can be!"

Nanao sighed. Thank GOD for Shunsui's pride.

So it was decided, by decree of the Soutaicho... Uzumaki Naruto would be a student attached to the 8th division, until such a time that he could pass the graduation tests as given by the Shinigami Academy.

"Boy, if you ever want a fight, or REALLY want to learn how to, come find me... I'll be looking for you, that's for sure!"

"Yeah, shrimpy! Come on by, and Ken-chan will teach you how to kick ass!"

"Oi! Shrimpy? You're shorter then me!"

"But I'm older then you! You should respect your elders!"

"Make me, Pinky!"

As the scene degenerated into a shouting match between Naruto and Yachiru, the Soutaicho motioned Nanao aside.

"Fukutaicho... This is a serious matter. With the sheer reiatsu that Naruto put off in that... scuffle... it is obvious that he has high potential. Make sure he spends time learning Zanjutsu and Shunpo... Both take advantage of higher reishi more then Kido does, which requires finer control."

Nanao looked over, to where Kenpachi had stepped into the fight, clearly threatening Naruto. In fact, the only thing that was stopping it from descending into a brawl (again) was Shunsui holding Naruto back.

"I understand, Taicho."

Yamamoto sighed.

"Fukutaicho... It is always best to stand vigilant. There are reports of stirrings among the Menos... Reports that I do not like. Suffice to say, in the coming days Soul Society will need all the strength it can muster. Do not let your pride force you to not turn to others to help you teach... Already I can tell that Naruto will be strong one day. He just needs direction..."

Yamamoto petered off, continuing to watch Naruto flail about in Shunsui's grasp. It seemed that Yachiru had taken advantage of him being held back, and was currently pinching his cheeks, telling him how cute a baby he was.

"Yes, Soutaicho... I'll make sure he learns everything he can."

'But there's no way that I'm going to encourage him to seek out Kenpachi... Even if that means ensuring that he learns from Shunsui.'

Author's Notes: This is pretty much the end of the groundwork. There'll be a chapter or three about Naruto's training, and life in SS. There'll be time skips and the like, and after that's all done, it'll skip forward to the start of Bleach.

I think I'm going to do a Naruto Zanpakuto along the lines of his trickster side. It'll definitely involve confusion, but I need to make it so it's not too similar to Aizen's supposed sword. It will be inevitable that it would be similar, as it's hard to think up a power that involves confusion and misdirection that ISN'T similar to what Aizen said his sword did... But it makes the most sense. Zanpakuto's always seem, at their core, to be similar to their users. Some aspect of their personality is manifested, and the most appropriate (and useful) for Naruto that I can think of is his pranking side. So something that can support that, or is a reflection of that, makes the most sense.

Suggestions on that would be very much welcome. Idea's on powers, names, and the like would be appreciated.

I hoped the Kenpachi/Naruto fight went down realistically... Basically, it was Kenpachi screwing around with Naruto. Naruto, at the moment, stands zero chance against him... But then, the fight showed Naruto that Kenpachi totally kicks ass. And would perhaps make a good teacher...

There will also be a lot more Naruto/Yachiru interaction, as well. Which will lead to more Naruto/Kenpachi interaction, whih will lead to much frustration for Nanao.

Those will be the main influences on Naruto's afterlife... Nanao, Shunsui, Kenpachi, and Yachiru. And maybe Ukitake... He'll definitely meet Ukitake. But, Naruto being Naruto, might not appreciate the man so much when he first meets him, with Ukitake being sick and all. But perhaps he will more, later on... Much later on...

More will come to light about the specifics of the seals effects on the two, and it won't be fading anytime soon. Nothing major... But it'll definitely be noticed.

Comments? Criticism? Leave Reviews!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Alright Naruto... Now it's your turn to try."

The two stood in the 8th Division training grounds, right behind their headquarters.

"Ye Lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Inferno and pandemonium, The sea barrier surges, March on to the south! Hado number 31: Shot of Red Fire!"

Nanao sighed as a feeble looking ball of energy popped out of Naruto's finger, and meandered on down towards the practice target.

Naruto was frustrated... He had put so much into that shot, and that's all he got? When Nanao did it, she had blown off the head of the target!

"What did I do wro-WOAH!"

A massive explosion wracked the training grounds, and numerous members of the 8th division came running in.

The little ball of reishi had found the target... and completely obliterated it.

"Yes! That was so damn cool!"

Lessons with Nanao (Or, when he decided to tease her, 'Nanao-chan') weren't as bad as Naruto thought they could be. Nanao valued efficiency, after all, which meant that they mixed together practical and theoretical learning quite often.

He had been afraid that she would just sit him down in a classroom and start lecturing him on boring stuff all day.

Instead, she only did that part of the day... The rest was a lot more fun.

He looked on over at Nanao, standing shell-shocked.

'I wonder why she's so surprised... Wasn't blowing up the target what I was supposed to do?'

Nanao had decided to focus on Kido with him, as that was her specialty. Naruto personally had no problem with it, because he FINALLY had a teacher who would teach him kick-ass techniques that blew shit up... Something that he used to have to fight tooth and nail to find. Or at least, that's what he vaguely remembered.

Even as Nanao ordered around some poor bystanders into cleaning up the mess Naruto had just made (and, Naruto was proud to think, it was a pretty huge mess), Naruto thought back to one of the first things Nanao had explained about death.

"Now that you are dead... You're memories of your time in the living world will fade. For you, it won't be as bad as most... The loss of memories is directly tied into reishi usage. It's unavoidable that most will be lost... You've probably already forgot. However... The bigger things take time to fade, and even then, it'll take a real effort on your part to remember them. If you had started training any later, you would have had no real chance to hold onto any of them."

Naruto had decided that, if he couldn't remember it all, HE'D get to choose what he remembered.

And he decided to remember a few good things. Tsunade, Sakura, and Jiraiya were pretty much all he could manage... Well, that and Ichiraku's, but Naruto felt that that went without saying.

As did the Kyuubi. Naruto wouldn't have chosen to remember the Kyuubi, but since it had carried over into is death, and he had kept its reishi... He couldn't quite forget it.

As time had gone on, Naruto remembered less and less about his life... But those things remained.

"Stop daydreaming, Naruto! I need to go work on reports, so go report for your Zanjutsu lessons!"

"Yes... Nanao-chan."

Naruto smirked at the way Nanao flushed in anger at the name, and even continued to do so after Nanao hit him over the head with that fan she usually reserved for her Taicho.

'Man... I wish Sakura had been as easy-going... That fan hurts much less then a fist.'

Shrugging, Naruto wandered off, in search of his zanjutsu teacher.

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"Again, Naruto-kun... Your form has been improving of late, but if you don't correct your footwork, it'll never get better."

Zanjutsu lessons never bored Naruto, though they weren't as flashy as Kido. Naruto had long realized that even with his massive reserves of reishi, for whatever reason, he was just BETTER at straight up fighting and clever plans then he was at blowing up hordes of enemies with massive chakra or reishi techniques. Utilizing those reserves with zanjutsu, though... Even now, Naruto realized how much potential that had.

After all, he knew Kenpachi.

"Yes, Ukitake-sensei... Is Flower-taicho ever gonna get off his butt and teach me something? You promised that you'd start on shunpo today!"

And, as was often the case in Naruto's zanjutsu lessons, Shunsui was sitting off to the side, drinking sake and watching.

Naruto wondered at how often Shunsui and Ukitake hung out together... Frankly, he was surprised that either of them had enough time to actually do so. Especially with how sick Ukitake seemed to be.

He guessed it just came with having incredibly efficient vice-captains.

Ukitake chuckled as Shunsui groaned.

"Naruto-kun, if you're going to give me a nickname, why don't you at least do the same thing to Jyuushiro? He's your teacher, too!"

"And he does most of the teaching, Flower-taicho! Now come on! I want to learn shunpo, and Yama-ji said you were really good at it!"

"Fine, fine... Just remember... If you go too far, you're the one who will have to deal with Nanao-chan when she gets dragged along..."

Naruto agreed impatiently... The Flash Step sounded pretty damn cool to him, as well as being really useful.

Besides... It would make it easier for him to sneak off from Nanao if he could use it.

Because she always got angry whenever he tried to seek out ol' One-Eye.

Naruto sheathed his zanpakuto, his new most-prized-possession.

Maybe Shunpo would also let him get out to that ramen-vendor a few blocks away that Nanao always said was so unhealthy?

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"Naruto! No sleeping!"

A piece of chalk bounced off Naruto's head, waking him from the light doze he had fallen into.

He was learning something about Hollows. Something that was apparently incredibly boring. Who cares how Hollows are formed? They're there, and Naruto was here to kick their asses!

But there was something that was bothering him.

"Nanao... If the biju were Hollows, how come there were only nine of them?"

Naruto sighed as Nanao's glasses gleamed. He hated it when she got into lecture mode... She could go on and on about the most boring things, if he didn't break it up.

Frankly, he thought he deserved more thanks for his efforts (Though Shunsui DID thank him).

"You would know this one if you were paying attention earlier, Naruto. The biju are a type of Hollow called Menos, which is a type that contains the strongest of Hollows. The way Menos are formed, though, is by many smaller Hollows combining together.

"Back, long ago, the Elemental Countries were not as well patrolled as they are now. Before the chakra techniques of the ninja were refined, MANY ninja became Hollows, due to their life-style. We lost many a shinigami after we realized the threat the area posed, and essentially went to war with the whole region. We couldn't quite defeat all of them, and even as we continued assaults against them, 9 Menos began to form.

"Around that time was when Ninja had fully refined their chakra techniques, and thus stopped mass producing Hollows. Combining that with a massively increased patrol throughout the area, and you get only the 9 Menos remaining. And, since they couldn't directly reach Hueco Mundo from where they were, they slowly forgot the place, merely rampaging about where they were... Naruto?

Nanao looked back from the chalkboard she had been writing on, only to see Naruto's head lying on his desk.

"NO SLEEPING IN CLASS!"

"Argh! Stop throwing chalk at me!"

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And so Naruto's training went for the first few years.

He liked to think he was progressing pretty fast... Though he had no clue just how fast.

Nanao liked to say it was because of her personal teaching... And in a way, it was. Unlike most Shinigami-in-training, he received nothing BUT personal attention, and from some of the strongest Shinigami in all of Seireitei to boot.

Within one year, he could have barely squeaked by the Academy Final Exam.

Within three, he would have been the top of his class.

Naruto had private lessons be the main extent of his life for six years.

But, that wasn't all he did...

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'His Kido is getting better... Yet it still doesn't make sense to me.'

Nanao watched as Naruto finished the long chant, and lobbed out the small glowing ball.

'I can FEEL the sheer amount of reishi he is putting into the technique... But for whatever reason, it just doesn't look right.'

Of course, the massive explosion it caused made the whole situation even more confusing for Nanao.

'It just doesn't make any sense... It looks wrong, but I definitely can't find fault with the results. If anything, the results are leagues stronger then it should be.'

Sending Naruto on his way, Nanao reflected on the recent past.

Ever since the mission, it's been a lot different in the 8th division. There newest arrival brought a lot of amusement to the division, and a lot of headaches for Nanao.

There were some slight changes... Nanao, for example, had to move to a different office in the building, so that it was close enough to where Shunsui (or, more accurately, Ukitake) liked to train Naruto. Otherwise, she'd end up there anyway, and that always left her a little upset. Her freedom was greatly limited, and she had to take Naruto almost everywhere.

If she didn't, Naruto ended up taking her places... And his idea of fun was far different from hers.

Speaking of which, Shunsui had warned her of Naruto's increasing desire to learn shunpo, and the likely teleporting it would result in.

Just one more headache to add on to the rest.

Not that it was all bad, or that even most of it was.

For example, Nanao now had the perfect human shield for dealing with Yachiru. Before, she had to rely on luck... Now, she just either mentioned or pointed to Naruto, and that would immediately change the little girl's target.

Nanao had also found that Kenpachi's presence wasn't as headache-inducing as it was before. Perhaps being entangled with Naruto's reishi made it easier for her to deal with, but either way, it was NOWHERE near as painful as it was before.

Of course, Nanao still did her best to discourage Naruto from seeking the man out... Seireitei did NOT need another Kenpachi running around.

The mere thought of being thought of as the Yachiru to Naruto's Kenpachi had Nanao wake, covered in sweat. It was probably the worst nightmare she had ever had.

Though if Naruto ended up looking the way he did in her dream...

Nanao shook her head, blushing.

'I need to stop hanging around with Rangiku...'

Nanao did her best to think of Naruto as a student. That failed when she had to interact with him outside a classroom setting.

She tried to think of him as a little kid. That failed whenever she saw him facing down Kenpachi, eager to fight it out.

Naruto didn't look quite as young as he had when he first game to Seireitei, but he still looked only like a 14 year old.

Nanao had just decided to place him in the same group she put her taicho.

Regardless of any jokes that Rangiku might make about her 'entanglement'.

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Naruto's first attempt at Shunpo had been unsuccessful on every count, except for one: He moved from where he had started to somewhere else.

It wasn't where he had wanted to move to.

He didn't stop gracefully.

He didn't even end up standing.

And Nanao was ungodly pissed to have herself teleported to his location... Sitting on Naruto's back, in the rubble of the wall he had crashed into.

Actually, make that two successful counts; he had landed next to that vile ramen cart he loved so much.

'How can he eat the stuff? Can't he see how disgusting it is? It's terrible...'

Nanao stood up, letting Naruto pull himself out of the wall and to his feet.

"So, uh... Since I'm here anyway, I might as well get some ramen, ne, Nanao-chan?"

Thwap.

Nanao watched Naruto rub his nose, and responded, "Naruto, you're in the middle of a class. You can't just stop to eat whenever you want-"

Nanao was promptly interrupted by the arrival of Shunsui and Ukitake, casually strolling over to where they were.

"Ooh, Jyuushiro... I haven't had ramen in ages. Perhaps we should have some now?"

Naruto cheered. Jyuushiro chuckled. Nanao groaned.

Nanao rallied herself valiantly. Shunsui was doing this on purpose; He always did things like this!

"Perhaps you should finish teaching Naruto the basic control of Shunpo before eating, Taicho?"

"Oh, I'm sure we can finish that in a moment. We'll just take some ramen back to the training grounds with us! You know Jyuushiro needs to eat, don't you?"

And, as usual, Nanao had to fold whenever Shunsui brought in Ukitake's illness. There was no argument she could make against THAT. Even if she knew he was just saying that to get his way.

Of course, Nanao would have been even angrier if she heard what Shunsui whispered to Naruto as she left.

"I told you this would work... Good job faking the shunpo accident. Now, will you perhaps stop calling me 'Flower-taicho'?"

"Well, I said I'd talk to you the same way I talk to Ukitake-sensei... So, I guess you're 'Shiro-taicho' now, Ukitake-sensei. That's the best I could come up with on short notice."

At least Nanao would have taken satisfaction in Shunsui's groan of despair.

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Classroom sessions were both Nanao's most and least favorite teaching sessions with Naruto.

Most because she truly enjoyed learning, and passing on that knowledge.

Least because Naruto didn't seem to share that enjoyment.

Constantly keeping him awake quickly became the most important aspect of the class... After all, he was the only student present. If he wasn't awake, no one was learning. Perhaps if he was in a larger class setting, it wouldn't be as bad.

But one on one? It just couldn't happen.

So Nanao did her best to make sure the lectures were relevant to him. This meant referring to the Elemental Countries a lot.

Nanao knew that his memories of the place would fade. Everyone's did, after death, and on occasion caused massive personality shifts from the forgotten experiences.

However, that kind of thing wasn't common. People may not remember why they act the way they do, just that they acted that way. If someone, say, was afraid of water because of a traumatic experience as a child, they would still be afraid of water, even if they didn't quite remember why.

It was theorized that the memory loss came about through the loss of the constant physical energy running through the system, and was at least partly confirmed with instances where souls would immediately make there way to Seireitei, or had learned to manipulate some form of spiritual energy in their life. They tended to have more memories of their time alive, which lent some credence to the theory.

Of course, Nanao had to wake Naruto up three times during THAT lecture.

But still... The Elemental Countries were a fascinating place. The only other area that really compared (and in many ways, surpassed) was that town, Karakura. But it was easier to keep Naruto awake by using his former home as an example, so that was what she used.

It wasn't that Naruto was stupid... She found that he usually understood what she was talking about, even if his way of explaining it sounded ridiculous. She knew that Naruto would never be the scholarly type, and therefore never REALLY be able to tap into the higher end Hado and Bakudo techniques that Nanao utilized, as they all required much study to master.

But she had to try.

If only to keep him from ending up like Kenpachi.

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Watching as Naruto first learned how to use his zanpakuto was an odd experience. He had an awestruck expression after being told that the sword was actually sentient, connected to his soul in a way that was almost impossible to describe.

He treated it with such reverence, that Nanao knew that at least he wouldn't forsake Shikai and Bankai. One more thing to keep him separated from Kenpachi, that.

On first explaining shikai and bankai, she had to practically shout Naruto into submission that he couldn't just leap into that.

After all, how could he learn a sword's name, if he didn't even know how to use said sword?

The logic worked (or at least, it made sense to Naruto), and he threw himself training.

Nanao was happy that Ukitake took charge in a lot of his training sessions. Many people underestimated the man, due to his sickness and kind demeanor. Most did not realize that he was probably the foremost expert in zanjutsu in all of Seireitei (with the probable exception of Yamamoto), even once defeating Kenpachi in straight up zanjutsu.

This was because Ukitake's zanpakuto was the only one in all of Seireitei that existed as one sword sealed, but two unsealed. This forced him to master fighting with both one and two swords, to make the most of his weapon. And since it was easier to fight his illness if he didn't use too many of his sword's powers, he preferred to keep the fight to zanjutsu.

So getting personal lessons from the man was pretty much the best way to learn zanjutsu possible.

Naruto had quickly progressed under such tutelage, which pleased Nanao. It would be far easier for her if Naruto came into the 8th division as a seated officer, instead of as a raw recruit.

For there was no doubt in her mind that he would join the 8th. He had to, really. Doing anything else would force Nanao into a different division, as well.

So Nanao did the best she could to make sure Naruto would be as high ranked as possible for when he came into the division, as the higher ranked officers often worked with her, anyway. It would be much more convenient if Naruto was one of them.

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Nanao regretted the lack of time she had for her own personal training. Due to all of her newer responsibilities, she didn't have time for anything but her usual late night studying.

But her Zanpakuto was feeling restless, feeling disrespected due to Nanao's lack of training.

So Nanao decided to cave in a little... Since Naruto wasn't huge for classroom learning anyway (outside of memorizing Kido, that is), she decided to relegate some of that time over to meditation.

And, after explaining to Naruto that it would aide him in learning his Zanpakuto's name, he agreed.

Nanao didn't expect much in the way of results for him... But it made her Zanpakuto feel better, so she did it.

She never really expected Naruto to run with it.

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Six years have gone by.

Naruto had been training for at least 10 hours of each day, every day, in some form or another.

He hadn't had a lot of time for pranking and mischief until he learned shunpo... But after he did, well, Nanao would be bounced all over Seireitei following him.

Because he purposely did long flash steps, to ensure that she never quite had the time to get her bearings to catch up to him.

For a while, his main target was the 12th division ('Nerds are such easy targets!'), until Mayuri had set up 'Naruto traps' all over the place. Since they looked like huge bear traps, Naruto decided that his work was done there... Being captured by the 12th division was NOT what he would call fun.

So he fell back onto his default target of Kenpachi and Yachiru. For some reason, Naruto really liked the huge man, and the tiny girl who hung off his shoulder. He could get into some really fun arguments with her that usually culminated into a really fun fight with Kenpachi.

And fighting Kenpachi was almost always the most fun. It was the only time he could truly go all out, and develop his own mix of hakuda and zanjutsu and kido into a workable fighting style. At other times, he would train with only one.

But against One-Eye, he needed them all.

And that made it more fun.

But, three years into his training, Nanao had introduced a new element: Meditation.

At first, he thought he would hate it.

But he would give it a try, because it would get him touch with his Zanpakuto.

And, after a while, he really started to get into it.

Mainly because he would always come up with his best pranks while zoned out.

And, as time went on, he would come up with better and better ideas that would always come to him more fleshed out.

At first, he thought he was just getting smarter.

But, nearing the end of his 6th year, he had a conversation with Shunsui that made him rethink that.

"Naruto, your Zanpakuto isn't another entity. No matter how it looks, in the end, it's a part of you. Most people find that their Zanpakuto's personality reflects their own. However, it will know you better then you know yourself. Listen to whatever it has to say."

Of course, the context of the rest of the conversation was Naruto complaining that Shunsui never taught him anything useful without massive encouragement, so Naruto was at first inclined to take it with a grain of salt.

Until, of course, his next time meditating.

Where he came up with the most PERFECT plan to get back at Mayuri for putting those stupid 'Naruto Traps' all over the place.

And, Naruto realized... Maybe this was his zanpakuto's way of reaching out to him.

So, after successfully painting Mayuri's face orange (as well as dying all of the make-up stuff he normally used the same), Naruto sat down for some serious meditation.

And didn't move for 10 hours.

He knew he was close.

He could even begin to hear a voice, and muffled laughter.

But it all seemed muted.

Until a month before he was going to take his 'final exams', to officially graduate from his time as a student.

He was practicing with Kenpachi... Or, as other people would put it, fighting for his life.

Nanao and Yachiru stood watching... Nanao fearfully (though hiding it), and Yachiru gleefully (and not hiding it at all).

And, as usual, Kenpachi had the upper hand.

This time it wasn't because Kenpachi was just that good... It was because Naruto kept on hearing a voice.

That kept on giving him suggestions.

Most of which had to do with the fight... The few that didn't were what really threw him off.

'Why the hell would I want to steal the wheels off Yachiru's sword? She'd kill me!'

And then he heard a reply.

'Because it'd be funny!'

Kenpachi took advantage of Naruto's sudden stop, smacking him into a wall.

The fight ended as they usually did (Nanao broke it up), but all Naruto could think about is that he finally heard a reply from his sword.

So, while he was being examined by a healer from the 4th division (Nanao insisted), Naruto decided he'd have another marathon meditation session.

This time it lasted for 14 hours.

And Naruto met his sword.

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"For some reason, I'm not surprised that my entire mindscape is a cloud..."

"Actually, if ya look down, it's more of a cloud of steam over an enormous Ramen bowl."

Despite himself, Naruto looked down.

"That's... a lot of ramen."

"Yeah, but ya can't eat it. I've tried."

And then it hit Naruto that he was talking to someone. The giant bowl of ramen he distracted him too much to realize it earlier, which was excusable.

"Woah... You're a weasel?"

In front of him was a rather large weasel, floating in the steamy ramen-scented goodness.

"Well... Sort of. Maybe at one time, I would have been... But, I happen to like napping in what I guess you could call your stomach. And we both know what else was placed there... With all that abundant reishi, I've become something more..."

And even as Naruto stood in awe, the creature lit up with a crackling aura, turning the cloud around him a dark black.

"... Raiju?"

"Yup."

"That's... SO COOL!"

"Hell yeah! We kick ass!"

Naruto settled down, and the Raiju released its aura.

"So... What happens now?"

"Well... You have to say my name. I can't tell ya... This is something you're supposed to know. But you're close, I can tell."

"For some reason, I'm really hoping your name isn't Itachi. Just thinking about that name gives me the chills, for some reason."

"Well, it ain't. So, uh..."

"You got any ideas for what I can do to Clown-face next?"

"You bet!"

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Naruto decided that he probably had the most kick ass Zanpakuto in all of Seireitei... Or at least, the coolest manifestation of one.

Mayuri would disagree, but then, most didn't really care what he thought. And pretty much everyone liked seeing the pranks that were pulled on him.

Nanao was mildly disturbed with how much time Naruto suddenly started meditating, and how he continually mumbled random names while did so.

She quickly figured out that he was attempting Shikai, but she really didn't find fault with that.

At least it left her with more time to do her work in peace.

And, ironically enough, Naruto figured out his sword's name in the stupidest of ways. The cheesiest, at the very least.

Naruto had decided to meditate outside (or rather, he had made an inappropriate comment to Nanao, who decided that he would meditate outside), when a storm began to move in.

Naruto was completely oblivious to it, even as the rain began.

Nanao, seeing the rain begin to pour, felt bad for kicking Naruto out (he had only offered to take her out for some ramen, but had the bad idea to call her Nanao-chan at the same time), and went out to retrieve him.

Only to see steam pouring off Naruto, swirling around his form.

But as she got closer, she realized it was nowhere near hot enough to be steam.

'Is that... a cloud forming around him?'

As Nanao went over to awaken Naruto from his meditative state, the cloud thickened, and a burst of reishi released from him, washing over the rest of the compound.

It leveled two walls, and uprooted a lot of the ground... But left Nanao completely untouched.

Naruto stood, amongst the fog.

"Cloud the heavens, Amagumo!"

Nanao could only stand awestruck, as the foggy-mist surrounding Naruto intensified, only to swirl away.

Naruto stood, reishi visibly bleeding off him in an aura, holding his Zanpakuto before him.

Nanao's eyes were drawn to the sword. And what she saw greatly surprised her.

For most, Shikai lengthened your sword, or altered the shape of it greatly.

Naruto's was one of the few that got smaller.

It was normally the size of a Katana... Now, it was that of a Kodachi.

'Just... Like mine.'

Other then that, the blade turned a dull grey, matching the color of the rain cloud surrounding swirling around him.

And attached to the hilt, was a small chain with a tiny glowing yellow ball.

"Yes! I kick so much ass!"

And frankly, after see Naruto achieve Shikai in a 6 year time frame, Nanao couldn't disagree.

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"Uzumaki Naruto... You've passed the exam with flying colors. You are clearly far ahead of almost every Academy Student I've ever seen."

Naruto stood proudly, sheathing Amagumo.

In front of him stood Yamamoto, who had just finished his final testing.

Behind him stood Shunsui, Ukitake, and Nanao, who were there as his primary teachers.

"Yes... You are clearly of a quality better then most seated officers. I am not surprised, given who your teachers were. Now... What to do with you..."

Nanao stepped forward.

"Clearly, he must come to the 8th division. It's the only option that makes sense."

Naruto reached down, to touch his stomach. There used to lay a seal that had housed one of the greatest Hollows known... Now, he knew that one of his greatest allies rested there.

Nanao also looked over at Naruto. She was long accustomed to their attachment, to the point that she barely noticed that they were entangled.

"Hmm... Yes, there is that."

Yamamoto walked up to Naruto, and stared hard at where the seal was.

His eyes opened a little bit wider, but that was the only indication of anything he saw on his face.

Nanao opened her mouth, nearly asking what had seemingly surprised him.

But something held her back... She almost felt like she just didn't want to know.

Looking back up, Yamamoto paused.

"Yes... I suppose that does make the most sense. I assume Naruto will now become your new third seat, Shunsui?"

Naruto stood proudly. He had grown quite a few inches since arriving, but still looked no older then a fourteen year old... Maybe 15, but that was pushing it.

There had been shinigami that looked younger then that... But they were few and far between. And almost always, been in Soul Society a lot longer then there age belied.

"Yes, Yama-ji, I believe he is."

Author's Notes: A more detailed look at Naruto's training. Even if Shunsui agreed to help, I really can't imagine him NOT foisting as much of it he can onto Ukitake. That just seems like a Shunsui thing to do.

I added in the whole 'Memories' thing, as well as my explanation on how there could only end up being 9 biju.

He also has released his sword, which is good, too. I hope that one went down believably.This is the first chapter that I've reverted back to Naruto after going to Nanao, and then back to Nanao for a bit, which is something that will become more common later. It's not just gonna be 'Naruto's half, Nanao's half'... That's too rigid, so I hope this way will get better.

I'm trying hard to keep Naruto in character, as well as establish a reasonable character for Nanao. Which is harder then it seems, but it's all good.

Next chapter will have a couple of the events in canon Bleach, as well as Naruto's interactions with the rest of soul society. The chapter after that SHOULD be around where Bleach starts, but I'm not positive yet.

Just so everyone's on the same page, Amagumo means rain-cloud. Its powers will be established next chapter, to some extent.

Also, one important thing that a reviewer brought up. I use the word reishi to describe the spiritual energy used in Bleach. I chose reishi because they never establish what the name of the energy they use is. Reiatsu is NOT what it's called… Reiatsu means 'spiritual pressure', and refers to the effect of releasing your reishi. Reiatsu is what Nanao felt when she nearly passed out during the Yamamoto/Shunsui/Ukitake fight.

Comments? Criticisms? Leave Reviews!


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Do you have the reports done yet, Naruto?"

"Yes, Nanao."

"Is the divisions training done for the day?"

"Yes, Nanao."

"And everything is ready to be sent out to the 1st Division?"

"For the last time, Nanao-chan, everything is done! Can we please go and visit Kenpachi now? You said you would let me if I did all the work early!"

The dynamic between Nanao and Naruto had changed dramatically, after Naruto became a full-fledged shinigami.

Frankly, it confused him even more, now.

Before, Nanao was his teacher, and it was easy to treat her as such.

Now, she was his superior, and that made things different.

Especially because the two had vastly different understandings of how authority worked.

'Man, I just want to go find Kenpachi, and have a good fight! None of this stuff is urgent, either...'

One important aspect of the changed dynamic was that Naruto could not just drag Nanao along with him wherever he went. Well, he could... But now it could get him some kind of 'official reprimand'.

Whatever that was.

But Shunsui had made it sound bad, and had encouraged him to try and work out such things with Nanao in advance. And, surprisingly, it usually worked.

'Though Nanao gets so strict when it involves One-Eye...'

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"Kido Number 4: White Lightning!"

"Buwahaha! Even if ya can make it hit me when ya cut out the incantation, ya still can't make it hurt! Told ya kido is worthless!"

"That's not what ya said last time I caught ya with Number 31, One-Eye."

"And do YOU remember what I did last time you called me 'One-Eye'? Do you really want me to take off the patch again?"

"Oh, Kenchan has so much fun playing with Kiroi-Kiroi, doesn't he?"

"Err, yeah, Yachiru. Lots of fun."

A common scene unfolded at the 11th Division. Naruto and Nanao had become frequent (and, in Nanao's case, unhappy) visitors of the place, and most just ignored the scene, with how often it played out.

And it almost always went the same.

This time, though, it went a little different.

"Yeah, well, I've got something new I've been working on! And you better believe I'll win this fight!"

Immediately after he first released it, Nanao had Naruto constantly work with his shikai, to try and work out exactly what it could do.

He had yet to release it on Nanao, though. The effects of his shikai were... interesting, to say the least.

So Naruto brandished his Zanpakuto, and cried the release.

"Cloud the Heavens, Amagumo!"

Kenpachi frowned a little as a cloudy mist began filling the battle field, pouring out from the sword.

"So you're hiding behind your swords power now, eh, kid? I thought you were better then that."

To Kenpachi's surprise, he couldn't visually locate Naruto. When Naruto replied, it sounded like his voice was coming from multiple locations at once.

And he kept on seeing a little yellow flash, appearing and disappearing from random parts of the cloud.

"Amagumo's power IS my power, One-Eye! What kind of idiot doesn't use all the weapons in his arsenal?"

Hearing Naruto's usual reply, from back when Kenpachi insulted him for using Kido, didn't surprise the man.

What DID surprise him was the fact he was starting to feel a little... light-headed.

"Oh, Shrimpy's sword is no fun! I can't see anything anymore!"

Yachiru was starting to feel cheated... She couldn't even see the fight anymore!

Of course, that was pretty much the point, or so Naruto thought.

His shikai gave him the perfect way to hide, letting him easily move in, prank someone, and move out.

"Amagumo lets me create a cloud that hides me from your sight. The cloud itself also has a slight property to it..."

"You think something as lame as that is gonna stop me? I'll still win the fight!"

But at the moment, Kenpachi wasn't feeling so sure.

Because he kept on seeing things at the edge of his vision... Besides that annoying yellow light.

At first, it wasn't very distinct, but after a moment, a person rapidly came into focus.

'... Unohana? What's she doing here? And dressed like that-OOF!'

While Kenpachi had stood by, transfixed by the sight, Naruto had blindsided him with a kido blast to the back.

"Like what ya see, eh? I wish I could see what had ya so distracted, but the cloud that Amagumo creates contains a slight hallucinogenic aspect that makes anyone in the cloud I choose see something that they'd find distracting. I've found that even KNOWING they are an illusion doesn't make them any less believable... or distracting."

"Well, that ain't enough to beat me, kid... And I think you know that!"

Though he sounded confident, Kenpachi had noticed even more figures starting to appear in the mist.

And, well... They were as distracting as the first.

"Hey, Kenchan! I'm coming into the cloud to find you!"

Both Naruto's and Kenpachi's eyes widen. Kenpachi's because he didn't want to know what would 'distract' Yachiru, and Naruto because he didn't have the greatest control over who was affected by the cloud yet.

"Uhh... You wanna call this one a draw, One-Eye?"

"... Ok."

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Yup, the sight of Kenpachi and him fighting was commonplace enough, even if that result wasn't.

That fight in particular, though, was spread around quite a bit.

Mainly because Naruto's use of Shikai.

Especially a shikai that Kenpachi would highly disapprove of.

It gave Mayuri in particular even more to lament over, at how he could never quite convince (read: capture) Naruto to undergo experiments.

Word spread quickly around, about the hallucinogenic aspect of the cloud... It got to the point that some didn't quite mind when Naruto came rolling through to commit a prank.

Because the illusions in the clouds tended to be the kind of things people really wanted to see, anyway.

And Naruto didn't mind that in the least... He made the most of his cloud.

Not all was fun and games, though.

Even when Naruto tried to make it so.

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"And I officially call this meeting of the Shinigami Women's Association to order. The first thing on the docket is a reading of last meeting's minutes..."

'Man, I'm always so bored out here, whenever Nanao has these stupid women's meetings!'

Naruto was perched on a bench outside the room that the meeting took place, as he did every time there was such a meeting.

And he was always so bored.

But this time, though, he decided to do something different.

'Maybe I can release Amagumo, and get the cloud to go under the door?'

Of course, there was no way he couldn't NOT do that, after thinking of it... Such a prank would be truly hilarious.

So he quietly released his sword, held it low to the ground, and directed the growing fog into the room.

"... And next on the agenda is President Kusajishi's motion to increase funding for candy purchasing. Would President Kusajishi like to come forward to speak on... her... where is that smoke coming from?"

Not that Naruto could hear anything going on... But he knew it would be funny when they all came running out.

Before that could happen, though, a messenger arrived, painting from what looked to be a long run.

At the same time, the door opened up, with fog pouring out.

Nanao immediately stormed over to Naruto, ready to smack him good for ruining the meeting.

Before she could, the messenger gasped, and spoke up.

"Shiba Kaien... Shiba Kaien is dead. All vice-captains and captains must report to the 1st division HQ for a meeting over what caused it."

Everyone froze at the news.

Naruto unconsciously resealed his sword.

Everyone liked Shiba Kaien... He was a model vice-captain and shinigami.

And, as one, Naruto and the Women's Association turned and left.

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The death of Shiba Kaien effected a lot of people in Soul Society.

For one, it meant that Nanao saw Ukitake less, as he no longer had as much free time to come and visit.

It also made her delay in thinking about what she saw in the cloud, before it was interrupted.

Because she was mildly disturbed that all she saw was Naruto doing various things.

From what Naruto had explained to her about his sword... It meant something.

What it was, was something she didn't really want to contemplate at the moment.

She also noticed a change in Naruto. For a while after, he didn't really prank anyone, and when he did, he most certainly didn't use his sword. Sure, he was back in full swing 5 weeks later... But still, it was unusual.

It also caused Nanao to realize that Naruto might not be as ready to deal with death and fighting as he sometimes acted.

Sure, he had participated in numerous Konso... but those were always in specially controlled settings.

Perhaps it was time to take him out on a more routine, normal Konso.

'It could help him cope with death easier?'

Nanao knew, though, that that really wasn't a problem. She knew that Naruto could cope with death easily, and that he probably just felt guilty over the fact he was playing a silly prank while a comrade was out dying.

But it made her feel better, so she decided to take him out the next day.

After all, he'd have to get used to performing Konso in the Elemental Countries soon, anyway... Only the elite were sent there for Konso purpose, and Naruto had just officially become elite himself.

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"So why is it again we have to wear these extra cloaks?"

Nanao sighed.

"For the last time, it's so that the natives can't see you. There are enough people with a good grasp of their spiritual power that that would become an issue."

Nanao watched as Naruto shrugged again, before beginning to look around.

She could tell he was nervous... He always started peering around everywhere when he was.

'It's probably because, intellectually, he knows that this is where he lived... But he can't remember most of it.'

Nanao continued to walk, unaware of where exactly she was, or why it would have so much importance to Naruto.

After all, she had found the boy at the Valley of the End, and all records of the exact events of the Sealing were, well, sealed.

She had no way of knowing that Konoha was probably the last place to bring Naruto to first.

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'Man, so many things look familiar around here... But I just can't quite place them.'

"Hurry up, Naruto... There are a few spirits that need to be sent on their way at the village up ahead, and then we leave."

"Coming, Nanao-chan."

Thwap.

'At least she stays constant.'

But something about the place was setting him on edge.

He didn't know exactly what it was, though... It was like when you had something on the tip of your tongue, but couldn't quite remember.

The two quickly found the souls, who had evidently died in some kind of freak building collapse.

And it got even weirder... The souls wouldn't even talk!

They just stared at him... Stared in terror...

So after quickly explaining exactly what he was doing, Naruto performed Konso on them, and sent them on their way.

"Man, those souls acted odd!"

Seeing Nanao nod, Naruto began to look around once again.

And then he spotted it.

"That's... That's Tsunade! And... Jiraiya?"

He watched Nanao turn, in slow motion.

Because it just hit him, what that was.

'The Hokage monument? But why would Jiraiya be on it? Tsunade-baachan is the Hokage, right?'

Nanao saw the realization dawn in Naruto's eyes.

And then it turned to panic.

And Nanao, for the first time in a while, found herself bounced around by a forced teleport.

She reappeared next to him, in front of a huge rock with names on it.

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'... When? How?'

Naruto didn't know what to think.

He hadn't even been gone for a full 7 years!

He fell to his knees, tears forming in his eyes.

Nanao knelt down next to him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

He turned, and pulled her into a hug.

And Nanao saw, at the very bottom of the stone, was one of the names Naruto chattered on about, whenever he spoke of his time alive.

'Tsunade'.

And they sat like that, even as a cloud formed above Konoha, covering the village in a light rain.

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"Have you decided on a new Fukutaicho, Jyuushiro?"

"No, Genryusai-sensei... There is no one who stands out at the moment."

"Have you considered Uzumaki Naruto?"

"You know of his situation with Ise-Fukutaicho, Genryusai-sensei..."

Yamamoto stood thoughtfully for a second. He opened his mouth to say something, but paused again before speaking.

"I suppose you're right... Perhaps your two third seats can handle the job?"

"They seem to be doing fine..."

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"There are 320 districts of Rukongai, Naruto, each filled with enough people to populate a large city. There's just no way for you to find her!"

Nanao wasn't that surprised at Naruto's vehement reaction.

He had been going on about looking for the woman for about 20 minutes now, but really... He needed to see reason.

Rukongai was enormous. It would be physically impossible for him to both maintain his duties, and search even a small portion of it.

Especially because he would be dragging her along.

Naruto looked up, as if about to yell at Nanao... Before his face fell.

"I... I know. I just feel like I need to do SOMETHING, ya know?"

"I know, Naruto... But this is how it goes. You have duties that you must uphold... This woman, Tsunade... She'd understand. Perhaps one day she'll make her way over to Seireitei, and you'll be able to meet up with her again?"

At seeing Naruto's bright smile, Nanao didn't have the heart to tell him that there would be almost no chance of her remembering him, even if she did arrive.

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And so it went, for the next dozen years. Naruto didn't take a second trip into the Elemental Countries, for fear of what he might discover.

He refined his skills, and went on missions to slay Hollows. Always with Nanao, of course.

The two became incredibly efficient, at working together. Naruto's cloud hid them, and Nanao's shield protected them, and they both could easily launch kido to destroy the enemy.

Sometimes Naruto would leave Nanao's barrier, and engage in hand to hand. More fun, that way.

More fights with Kenpachi solidified his fighting style, but at the cost of discovering that Kenpachi was REALLY good at focusing in on his opponents in a fight. Naruto discovered that he could make the yellow light of the ball attached to his hilt appear anywhere in the cloud... But neither that, nor the various sights that Kenpachi might see (and that was something Naruto DEFINITELY didn't want to know) were good enough to full distract the man in a fight.

Dealing with Yachiru was always awkward for Naruto... Even though he now looked about 7 or 8 years older then her, she STILL treated him as if he was a little kid.

Of course, in some ways, it was rather humorous.

Like the time Yachiru had introduced onto the Shinigami Women's Association docket a motion to find a girlfriend for him.

Yachiru didn't quite understand why Nanao had turned a little red, or why Rangiku began to laugh uproariously. After all, Nanao had assured the girl years ago that nothing like that was going on!

Yachiru brought it up every now and again, but the reaction tended to be the same.

She also tended to enlist Naruto into basic labor, acting as if she could order him around as she did the 11th division.

And after what had happened the first time he refused (something to this day Naruto won't discuss), he just sighs and goes along with it.

He didn't even want to know how Yachiru had managed to hold onto 30+ year old photos...

Most of Soul Society liked Naruto (or didn't care either way)... But one in particular had his eyes on him for quite some time.

Sousuke Aizen, after all, kept track of all who might pose a threat.

Especially someone who possesses a zanpakuto similar to the one he 'has'.

But then... It was still far too early for Aizen to make any sort of move like that.

...For Now.

Author's Notes: This was a lot more morbid then pretty much everything I've written thus far. I tried to go into more detail about the growing Naruto/Nanao relationship, and make it seem to progress at a reasonable speed.

It also showed in more detail exactly how Naruto and Kenpachi interacted... Solely in fights. That's all they did, and both of them enjoy it a lot.

Some depth to Naruto's relationship with Yachiru, as well, was added.

I figured using Kaien's death as a catalyst for the later events made sense. I never introduced him into the story, but Kaien's character is described as essentially affecting everyone around him. I figure it makes sense.

For a fuller explanation of Naruto's Shikai: It's name is Amagumo (which means 'Rain Cloud'), and it's command phrase is "Cloud the Heavens". It shortens from it's normal katana length down to a Kodachi, the blade turns grey, and a little glowing ball is attached to the bottom of the hilt by a small chain.

At command, it can release a 'cloud' of fog/mist that hides Naruto's visual presence. You can still hear, smell, or touch him, though.

The fog/mist/cloud/whatever stuff, however, causes people to start hallucinating and seeing illusions when they are in it. Naruto controls who is affected, but he doesn't know what they see. And, so far, it's always been something that'd people WANT to see, something that would distract them (for example, lots of guys would end up seeing, say, Rangiku).

Comments? Criticisms? Leave Reviews!


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

75 years.

It had been 75 years since Naruto died.

69 years since he finished his training.

68 years since he discovered Tsunade's death.

56 years since Naruto and Nanao had their teamwork down perfectly.

It was a long time, even in Soul Society terms.

Naruto found it odd that his aging had slowed even further... When he first arrived, 6 years in Soul Society had aged him 1 year physically.

It took another 12 years for him to look another year older.

His aging slowed even further... Now, after 56 years, he looked about 17.

'And yet... At least I'm not as bad off as Yachiru. She STILL looks 8.'

Naruto's presence caused ripples throughout all of Soul Society, his actions changing affecting several other people's lives.

The most obvious, and the only one Naruto even realized, was Nanao.

'Man... She must have been soooo bored before I came around!'

Naruto, over time, had discovered that Nanao didn't really have a social life. She had her work, she had her training, and she had the Shinigami Women's Association. At first, Naruto had thought that the SWA was Nanao's social life... But, from the little info he could gleam, it seemed that she viewed it as a means of improving female life in the Gotei 13, instead of a way to hang out with the girls.

This, oddly enough, made Nanao more anti-social then even Nemu.

But Naruto... He was a social animal.

'Yup... Nanao's so lucky to have me around!'

Naruto found that there were a lot of cool people in Soul Society, just ready for him to meet.

It wasn't his fault that Nanao always seemed to disapprove of his choice of friends.

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"Nanao-chan! I got us an invite to a really cool party going down in Rukongai tonight! Get ready, we leave in an hour!"

"... Naruto, it's against policy for Shinigami to go out and 'party' in Rukongai... Much less when one has as much work to finish as we do."

"Don't worry! I already ran it by Flower-taicho. He said he would handle it."

'Man, why is she so against going out and having fun?'

Nanao tried to rally a few more arguments, but each one was shot down fairly quickly.

Naruto had gotten the invite from one Madarame Ikkaku, a fellow third-seat from the 11th division. Naruto, in his early days in Seireitei, never really met anyone in the 11th other then Kenpachi and Yachiru.

But, that had changed, when Ikkaku had challenged him to a fight one time Naruto ran by the 11th looking for Kenpachi.

Oddly enough, Naruto discovered that Nanao preferred it when he fought Ikkaku. Apparently, Yumichika was a more stimulating conversationalist then Yachiru.

While Kenpachi wasn't that social himself... Ikkaku was.

And after his first fight with Naruto, Ikkaku had decided that Naruto was 'one of the guys'.

Which lead to Naruto meeting Yumichika, Iba and Renji, as well.

Naruto found it highly amusing at the sheer amount of panic Nanao had exhibited when Naruto first mentioned that he (and therefore Nanao) was going out on the town with some members of the 11th.

When Nanao tried to argue, Naruto had already planned a response.

"Oh, it's ok... Rangiku is going to be there, and she said she couldn't wait for you to come along!"

So Nanao was dragged into the social scene that she had so long avoided.

And, inevitably, she was the sober one who had to make sure everyone was ok.

As time went on, Naruto came more into his own.

And quite a few took interest in him.

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"... Tsunade-baachan... Where are you?"

Naruto stood on the outer wall of Seireitei, overlooking the first district of East Rukongai.

This was one of the first of many such events, a mere 15 years after Naruto arrived in Soul Society.

Often, Naruto would drag Nanao along with him to search nearby areas of Rukongai, hoping against hope that he would find Tsunade.

Naruto wasn't worried that she would be sent to hell like many ninja were... Nanao had explained that since she was a great healer, her actions in that aspect would override the more negative things she did in the line of duty.

But still... Naruto worried.

Nanao would leave Naruto alone in moments like this... She was currently at the bottom of the wall, reading the book she always carried.

"The pain of losing a loved one... It hurts, does it not?"

At the sound of an unfamiliar voice, Naruto spun around.

"Aizen-taicho? What are you doing here?"

Naruto knew of the captain of the 5th by reputation, having heard others speak of him before. Usually in very positive tones.

"I often come out here at night, to remind me of why I do what I do. And you... You come out here for the same reason, do you not?"

Naruto turned back to face the city below them.

"Yeah..."

"We all do what we must... For the advancement of Soul Society, as well as for our own personal reasons. I'd like to think that I work more for the former. But it always seems more fulfilling to work for the latter."

Naruto turned to face the captain, pondering his words.

"I'm sure whatever you're looking for is out there, Naruto. And if you ever need any help, do not hesitate to ask it of me."

Naruto watched Aizen walk away.

'Man, that guy really IS nice, isn't he?'

And, like many before him, Naruto began his descent into Aizen's web of lies and deceit.

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'Why is Naruto so pushy about this party?'

Nanao had known Naruto for years.

Many years.

Nearly half her life, actually.

In some ways, Nanao knew Naruto better then she knew herself.

And it worried her, when she pondered if the reverse was true too.

On her own, Nanao would never have been a very social person. Her interests were her own, and her duties came before her personal life.

Then Naruto came along, and tore apart her life like the maelstrom he was named after.

She found her stern demeanor, a defense she built up against her captain's numerous advances, being worn away. It had survived easily against the older man's attempts... But a mere child (at the time) managed to knock it down and keep on going with ease.

Oh, sure, she'd never cut loose and have fun quite the way that, say, Rangiku did.

But now she was around to sip tea and quietly laugh at Rangiku's drunken antics.

She got to know many people she had barely even associated with before, and a few people even managed to worm their way past her strict facade and got to know the real Nanao.

Of course, this also led to several guys hitting on her, thinking that she was now 'up on the market', per se.

This led to Naruto kicking said guy's asses... Something that always bothered Nanao. And she wasn't sure it was just her feminist instincts anymore.

But that was something she didn't want to think about.

No, there was apparently a 'huge party' brewing, and Naruto wanted to be there.

More importantly, Naruto wanted HER to be there... Or at least, he wanted her there willingly, instead of just dragging her along.

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"So when are you going to make your move on Naruto, Nanao? If ya wait too long, someone else is going to snap him up!"

"It's not like that, Rangiku, and you know it."

"Well, Nanao... You might have to watch him. I've heard that my little sister has been eyeing him whenever he visits the Thirteenth."

"... There is nothing like that between us, Isane. We are merely friends."

'Why did I let Naruto convince me to come to this party?'

"I even heard that Nemu has taken to watching him, whenever she can!"

"... Look, can we just change the subject?"

"I wouldn't mind trying him out, myself... He might be even more fun to tease then my captain. What do you think, Nanao... Does he seem the type to like the larger chest?"

Both Isane and Rangiku were a little surprised as Nanao's teacup snapped apart in her hands.

"If this is all you two will talk about, then I'm leaving."

As Nanao walked away, Rangiku turned to whisper to Isane.

"Was it something I said?"

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"... And right before I hit him over the head, he muttered something about Unohana-taicho!"

"No way! You're saying that Kenpachi saw HER in your cloud?"

"Yup... Freaked me out a bit too... Frankly, I'd rather not know what most people see..."

The party was in full swing, with people getting drunk and telling stories.

They had already had to leave two different bars, due to fights leveling the places.

It was winding down, at the moment, so Nanao decided that now would be a good time to leave.

Before they ended up having to carry back any of the people who passed out.

It had absolutely nothing to do with the way the other girls were teasing her.

Nope. Nothing at all.

So, Nanao made her way over to Naruto, who was sitting with Ikkaku and Yumichika, and informed him it was time to go.

"Hey, I'll see ya all later, ok?"

"Sure, sure... :cough: whipped :cough:."

Before Naruto could make a reply, several Hell Butterflies appeared, seeking out all the vice-captains in the bar.

"There's some kind of news... Something about one of the Kuchiki's being imprisoned? Whatever it is... There's a meeting about it for the vice-captains tomorrow."

Nanao looked over the group of drunken Shinigami that had been out trolling bars.

'I'm not getting stuck carrying Rangiku again.'

Again signaling Naruto, Nanao turned and left.

Completely unaware of the whipping motions Ikkaku was making at Naruto behind her back.

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"Nanao-chan, why'd ya make us leave so early? There was at least one more good fight left there!"

Naruto was a tad bit annoyed... He just knew that Ikkaku would hold the 'whipped' thing over him forever. Maybe he would have dropped it if Naruto had gotten a chance to kick his ass... But now it's too late.

Naruto was a little surprised that Nanao seemed to completely ignore him... He was sure she'd rise to the 'Nanao-chan' bait.

But she didn't even turn around, merely continuing to walk.

"Aw, come on now, Nanao-chan... Don't be like that! What's got ya so upset?"

Naruto hated having to deal with an angry Nanao... She always got so uptight and cold, and it'd take forever (well, more like a day or two) to get things normal again.

"Don't make me have to go to Rangiku again for advice on what's wrong..."

At that, Nanao stopped.

'Hah! Knew that one would work... Thank god it did, though. There's no way I'm going to Rangiku for advice about ANYTHING, especially not Nanao. Not after the first time... I don't even know where the heck I could buy that much chocolate, much less whipped cream...'

"Naruto... What would you do if our... Situation... Was fixed?"

The question felt like a smack to the face, and immediately threw him into a serious frame of thought...

"... What makes you ask?"

... One where he had no clue what was going on.

Nanao turned to face Naruto, her face oddly blank.

"I... I just want to know. What would you do?"

"... I don't know. Never really thought about it, to be honest. I can't imagine being anywhere else but the 8th, or work with anyone else but you."

Naruto internally sighed with relief, at seeing Nanao relax a tad. Apparently his answer was the right one.

"But you're clearly Vice-captain level... Why hold yourself back?"

"So? Ikkaku can beat Renji with ease, and he's a third seat, too. It's all a matter of being where ya want to be. And I like where I am just fine. Now... What the heck were those hell butterflies about?"

Nanao finally accepted the subject change, and as they walked back, they pondered at which Kuchiki could be in trouble.

'But man... What got into Nanao tonight? I mean, if our connection ain't been separated yet, what are the chances of it happening ever? Why was she so worried?'

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'Why did I let Rangiku's words get to me so much... Am I really that worried of someone else coming along and taking Naruto away?'

It bothered Nanao... She didn't like how angry she got at the idea of, say, Matsumoto making the moves on Naruto.

Especially because of the emotional attachment it implied in herself.

'No one would say anything if we DID get together, though... Why do I feel so torn about this?'

Nanao reflected on this, even as she questioned Naruto on how he felt about their connection.

'That's sweet of him... Even though I'm sure he didn't mean it that way, and that he really didn't ever think about being in any other division. And he does almost a vice-captains load of work anyway, seeing as he helps me do the work that our captain dodges.'

The two made there way back into Seireitei, heading to their own headquarters.

"Tomorrow seems like it'll be a long day. We'll have to leave early for my meeting, so be ready."

"Yeah, yeah, you already told me that, Nanao-chan."

And Nanao left a stunned Naruto standing in the hallway... Because she hadn't reprimanded him for the nickname.

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"Rukia did WHAT?"

"That was the same reaction that Renji had in the meeting, actually... Apparently, she gave her powers to some living boy. Renji and his Captain are being dispatched tonight to recover her."

Naruto (and Nanao) didn't know Rukia that well, but they were friendly with the girl. Rukia was often sent by Ukitake with messages for Shunsui, and the two found the girl to be fairly amusing. Especially the time she resorted to crude drawings to explain one of the messages from Ukitake.

So it came as a shock that someone they knew was to be arrested and charged with such criminal offenses.

"Did they even try to find out WHY she did it? Maybe she had a good reason, or something?"

"Can you think of a good reason to make a living person a Shinigami? I cannot. The rules state she must be brought before trial, but the likelihood of her being found guilty of such an offense is unlikely. Chances are that Kuchiki-Taicho and Renji are being sent out to recover her, and make sure that she's ok."

"... I guess that makes sense. But why have a Vice-Captain meeting over it, if it isn't important?"

"I'm not sure... But I'm sure the Chamber of 46 has their reasons."

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"So what are we going to do tonight?"

"Same thing we do every night, Amagumo... Try to catch that bowl of ramen!"

It was a hilarious sight that had started happening with increasing frequency over the last few months in the 8th Division HQ. Naruto's Zanpakuto started manifesting itself physically, which Naruto took as a cue that it was time to begin Bankai training.

Of course, the generic phrasing of how one achieved Bankai was "Manifest your Zanpakuto and subdue it".

That didn't actually explain the process, really.

Each Zanpakuto was different. Some (Most, really) required you to fight and defeat it.

But those Zanpakuto's tended to be one's that focused on fighting to begin with, or weren't as spiritually connected to their users.

For instance, Nanao's was much too cultured and dignified to engage Nanao in a trial of strength.

No, Naruto had walked in on Nanao seemingly playing a game of Chess against herself... Apparently, her Zanpakuto was a champion amongst swords at the game. However, it tended to use the same (or variations thereof) strategy each game, and Nanao was getting closer to coming up with a counter-strategy that would give her the win.

Naruto's was... Well, his was even more different.

Most would assume that his Zanpakuto would be a fighting-type, or that it would require him to play some massive prank.

But then, most hadn't been to Naruto's mindscape.

No, something that Naruto had not expected was for that unreachable bowl of ramen to somehow manifest, along with his sword's spirit.

And apparently, Naruto would achieve Bankai when he finally caught the bowl.

'I'll get you one day, ramen! Believe it!'

It would always elude his grasp... But he was getting closer.

And when he did... Well, he'd probably eat it.

He didn't want to think what that would symbolically mean to his mindscape.

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Nanao was familiar with Rukia, due to her time in the 13th.

She had always found her to be a sweet girl, even though she had some sort of rabbit fetish.

Thus she was reasonably outraged when she and Naruto were informed by Shunsui that Rukia was found guilty, and was to be executed.

"Was there even a trial, Taicho?"

"None that I saw, Nanao-chan... Even stranger, the time of the execution is in 25 days, instead of the usual 35..."

"Flower-Taicho... Captain... This is ridiculous! How can they execute her for something like this? Surely Shirou-taicho isn't going to let this happen, is he?"

"What the 46 will is what we enforce. I'm sure this will all work out in the end..."

But Nanao wasn't so sure.

To her, so many protocols had been broken, that this couldn't just be the work of the 46. They simply didn't operate like this.

There had to be more.

After the meeting, Naruto and Nanao left for something that had become almost tradition for the two.

"So, which direction is it this month?"

Ever since the meeting Naruto had with Aizen so long ago, Naruto had decided that he would at least make the token effort to look for Tsunade.

Nanao knew that Naruto didn't have high hopes of finding the woman.

In point of fact, Nanao also knew that it was originally Naruto's excuse to get Nanao out of the office and to begin socializing more.

But, the cover excuse was to look for this friend of Naruto's, so they made a slight effort. And every few days, they headed out to Rukongai.

"This month we head... west?"

Author's Notes: Action starts next chapter, with setup taking place here.

I also placed my take on achieving Bankai... The idea of Naruto chasing after invisible ramen (Props go to Semil for the suggestion), was too hilarious NOT to include.

It also sets up for Naruto and Nanao getting Bankai by the time it counts.

Nanao is getting herself mentally prepped up for a possible relationship with Naruto, as she overanalyzes her own thoughts and actions dealing with him. And Rangiku being there and screwing with her head probably isn't helping.

Comments? Criticism? Leave Reviews!


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

(Quick note: This has been slightly edited, way down during the fight scene)

"Man, I hate this part of West Rukongai... Those stupid giant pigs always show up."

"I thought it was the riders who bothered you, more then the pigs themselves."

"Yeah, well... That Ganju guy is nowhere near as cool as his brother was!"

Naruto and Nanao continued their 'search' of Rukongai, going rather far a field in their wanderings.

Naruto knew the chances of actually finding Tsunade were about nil... But it gave him an excuse to get Nanao out of that stuffy office of hers.

This, in turn, let HIM get out of that stuffy office of hers.

He was surprised, at how against the idea Nanao had initially been. He knew the girl was anti-social... But to not even want to take a walk in Rukongai?

He knew that he needed to do something.

So, once every few days, they got dressed in civilian clothing, and went out to some random part of Rukongai, to search for Naruto's missing mother-figure.

Just the act of taking these walks had created immense ripples in the lives of Naruto and Nanao.

Naruto insisted that they dress like the natives.

Nanao pretty much only had Shinigami uniforms. It was one of her first arguments against the idea that they would stand out too much.

It died pretty quickly, when Naruto called in Rangiku to help 'her dear friend' get more suitable clothing.

Matsumoto had found the whole situation hilarious, and went along with it for fun.

And dragged in a bunch of other girls to go shopping with them.

Nanao caved after that whole affair, and agreed to go on these walks.

"Well, what did you expect when you attacked him after the comments he made about Shinigami?"

"Well, um... Fine, maybe it's my fault a little that he's such an ass! But at least he could be a little more understanding about Shinigami work!"

Naruto looked away to hide his smile, at the fact that Nanao giggled after his last response.

'Yup... These walks were a great idea!'

This quickly died, at the rapid pulses of reishi they both felt.

That matched a signature type the two were very familiar with.

"There's a Shinigami fighting someone out here?"

Naruto smirked, even as Nanao sighed...

"A walk with Nanao-chan, AND a fight? This must be my lucky day!"

... And he quickly shunpo'd away, before Nanao could react to his comment.

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"Naruto... I've never seen that Shinigami before. And we'd KNOW any shinigami with that high of a reishi AND a shikai."

Nanao looked at Naruto from their perch on top of a building, watching the budding fight between the strange Shinigami and the pig-riding Shiba.

And sighed as she saw Naruto begin to (silently) cheer on the Shinigami.

'He's never going to grow up, is he?'

After watching the short scuffle, and the quick flight of the pig riders, Nanao noticed something.

'That cat... A talking cat? I can feel its reishi, even though it's mostly masked. Why does it feel a little familiar?'

"Woah! Is that a talking cat?"

"Naruto... There's something odd about that cat... I think-"

"What, aside from the fact that it talks?"

Nanao growled lightly, and thwapped Naruto on the head with her fan.

"Yes, something other than that. I think we should follow it..."

And, as the two whispered, they both didn't notice the cat staring at them, before turning and leading the troupe it came with onward.

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"Naruto! Did you hear what they called the cat?"

"Huh? What, do you know it, or something?"

The two sat, hidden by one of Nanao's bakudo, and listened in to the conversation between the ryouka, cat, and odd shinigami.

"Naruto... Yoruichi is the name of the woman who commanded the Special Forces, about 100 years ago, before they combined with the 2nd Division. And you would probably remember that, if you stayed awake during lessons!"

"So what? That cat is clearly a guy. It must be coincidence, or something."

Nanao rolled her eyes. It was just like Naruto to be deliberately thick-headed.

"And, of course, cats can always talk, and bring in people from the living world to rescue a shinigami on trial. It must be a coincidence that the one leading them is named after an AWOL member of Seireitei-"

"I get the point, Nanao..."

"Well, we better head back and report them..."

"Are you kidding? You heard them! They're here to rescue Rukia! No, we can't stop them... Maybe they'll figure out what the hell is going on with the Council of 46. You know they've been giving out weird orders lately..."

"So, what, are we just going to let them go?"

"Of course not... But I have a better idea..."

Nanao sighed, even as Naruto drew his Zanpakuto.

And released it.

Aiming the cloud into the open window they were sitting under.

Mass hysteria in the room ensued.

"Hehehe..."

"Oh! Why are there three Kurosaki-kuns? And why are they dressed like... That?"

Naruto snickered, even as the voices in the house grew louder, before the people within managed to find the front door and escape.

'He's such a child, sometimes. But I suppose it WAS a little funny... And we have a name, now, for the shinigami who took Rukia's power...'

To Nanao, it was good timing. They heard the bare bones of what was going on, directly from the Ryouka source.

Her need to follow her duty warred with her conscience... She just didn't feel right, not reporting this incident.

After all, these Ryouka were clearly planning on breaking into Seireitei, and stealing a prisoner out of jail. She heard them say it herself!

But, then again, she wasn't sure if Seireitei was doing its duty, either. There was something clearly off with how the procedure to arrest Rukia went down, and that rubbed Nanao the wrong way.

Of course, Nanao wasn't really given a chance of how to ponder the situation, before Naruto stood up, and strode out to where the Ryouka had moved out into the street... Streaming cloud all around him.

'Sigh... If I don't follow him now, I'll probably lose him in the cloud.'

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"Hey there, Blondie. That's a big ol' sword ya got. Compensating for something?"

Naruto smirked as the confused boy spun, looking for the source of the voice in the cloud.

"Who's there? Show yourself!"

Naruto circled away from the rest of the people trapped in the cloud, who were bewildered by the illusions.

"So, whatcha planning on doing, coming here dressed up all fancy like that? You a Shinigami, or are you a alive?"

Naruto felt Nanao's approach, and moved over to where she was.

He watched as Nanao muttered something under her breath, while pulling her Zanpakuto out of her sleeve.

'Man... If she's putting up her barrier, there ain't no way I'm going to get to fight now.'

Naruto pouted, and nearly laughed at Nanao's irate glare.

'Well, might as well screw with the kid before leaving.'

Naruto DID laugh, when he saw the pseudo-shinigami waving his sword around, as if he could accidentally find him.

"Oh, stop swinging that cleaver of yours around. I ain't here to fight ya. That's for later, I guess... Though I suppose it's good to know that the person coming for Rukia is going to make for a good fight."

Naruto paused, gauging the guy's response... It wasn't long in coming.

"Who are you? How do you know Rukia?"

"Well... Let's just say you ain't the only one who's upset about what's going on..."

Before Naruto could continue, Nanao pulled his arm, and whispered into his ear.

"I can sense the cat... Yoruichi... Coming closer. Now's the time to make our exit."

Nodding, Naruto spoke up again.

"Well, looks like I have to go... Good luck, kid. You're going to need it."

Pausing for a moment for Nanao to apply a masking Bakudo, the two quickly shunpo'd away, leaving Ichigo and crew behind.

"What... What the hell was that?"

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"So... What do we do now?"

The two had made their way silently back to Seireitei, using shunpo across the rooftops.

Standing outside the 8th Division Headquarters, Nanao thought about her duty.

Duty, responsibility... That was Nanao's life. Or, at least, how she thought it would always be.

But now a situation arose... One where her superiors seemed to be abandoning their responsibility to one of their own.

For no logical reason.

Execution, especially in the manner which was chosen, was not something done lightly. Hell, the old 12th division Captain invented a gigai that destroyed reishi, and all that happened to him was exile!

What was giving your power over to a human compared to the potential destruction of any Shinigami sent to Earth on a mission?

It just made no sense.

Nanao continued to stare, at the building that had been her home for so many years.

Most Shinigami didn't live that long. Grunts in the 11th division were considered old timers if they lasted even a decade. In other divisions, it tended to take longer, but not so much.

Nanao had been a Shinigami in excess of 150 years.

It was her life. She had power, and a responsibility to use it.

But if those in charge of her didn't seem to be using their power responsibly...

"Damnit, Nanao! Stop staring and answer me! What the heck are we gonna do?"

Nanao broke herself out of her thoughts, and turned to Naruto.

Really, there was only one answer she could think of.

"We'll go report what we saw... Our Captain will know what do."

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"Hmm... That does sound serious. I'll have to talk to Jyuushiro about this..."

"So, uh... What do we do?"

Naruto actually already knew what he was going to do.

Whether he could convince Nanao it was a good idea or not remained to be seen.

"I suppose you'll have to be on guard for these Ryouka, then."

'Heh... Thank you, Flower-taicho!'

"Well, if that's the case, we'll just have to wait for them to show up and fight them!"

Because even from their brief meeting, Naruto could tell the strength that blonde kid had. It was almost like Kenpachi's, except it was clear that the kid wasn't doing it on purpose.

And Naruto just KNEW that the 11th would be all over the guy, if he managed to make it into Seireitei. Naruto figured that since he found the guy first, he should get first dibs on fighting him.

And now he was just given an order that could be loosely interpreted as thus.

Shunsui smiled, and Nanao groaned.

'Yup... This is shaping up to be a good day.'

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"I'm so goddamn bored! When will those stupid Ryouka get here?"

Or not.

"Calm down, Naruto... They'll get here, eventually. That is, if they can even make it into Seireitei in the first place..."

Naruto and Nanao sat on a rooftop, near one of the walled entrances into Seireitei.

They had been waiting for quite a while.

And they would continue to wait.

"So, uh..."

They both sat, staring off into the sky.

Nanao decided to break the silence.

"So why are we waiting here to fight the Ryouka, if you want them to free Rukia?"

"Because that one guy... He was strong. You had to have noticed... It was almost like Kenpachi. I'm not sure if I could win... Not against him. But it's fun to try. Besides, I won't be fighting to the death. And if I do win, well, I'd let him go. I just want to fight."

Nanao sighed. She knew that she had let Naruto spend too much time around Kenpachi in his more formative years. Then again, she wasn't sure if having him end up like Shunsui would have been better.

At least Naruto treats her with respect.

Even if he does drag her into the stupidest situations, usually involving fights.

But one of the things he said bothered her.

"You don't think you can win? What'll happen if you lose?"

"Well, I guess you'll have to be there to save me, eh Nanao-chan?"

Before Nanao could respond to that, a huge glowing ball smashed into the outer defenses of Seireitei.

And exploded inward.

Naruto stood up, watching it fly apart in different directions.

"There. That one. That's our man."

Naruto held out his hand, to help Nanao up.

Silently, the two began to run, following their target.

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"Where the hell are we, Ganju?"

"I don't know! Damnit, which way do we head!?"

"Probably towards the huge white tower... But that'd just be my guess."

Naruto smirked as the two men spun in his direction, shocked at his voice.

"You! You're that guy with the cloud!"

"You're that asshole who always makes fun of my pig!"

Naruto began to laugh as the two looked at each other, surprised that they both seemed to know the guy.

"Hey, asshole, that cloud of yours wasn't funny! I keep on getting weird looks from my one of my friends now, thanks to you!"

"... Hey, you should be happy I did it, then. The illusions that you see are things that the person finds desirable. I just hope that the friend of yours happens to be the chick traveling with you, and not that other guy..."

Naruto began to laugh harder, as the faux-shinigami's face turned red. When Ganju (Naruto remembered the pig riding Ryouka that always seemed to be there to provoke him when he was in West Rukongai) began to join in, the first had enough, and drew his sword.

"Now, now... You're gonna fight me without even telling me your name?"

"I'm Kurosaki Ichigo... And no one is going to stop me from rescuing Rukia!"

"Take it easy, man... I ain't here to stop you. If I was, well, it'd already be too late. My name is Uzumaki Naruto, third seat of the 8th Division."

"... Then what do you want?"

Naruto stood up straight, drawing his sword...

"I just want a fight. Cloud the Heavens, Amagumo!"

... And released his Zanpakuto.

Foggy-cloud began to fill the area, causing the two to jump back.

"Hey, pig boy! Stay out of this one... Blondie here is mine!"

Naruto circled around Ichigo, who stood in place, grasping his huge ass sword.

"Oh... Not even going to move, eh? I'm surprised. Someone with reishi as large as yours shouldn't be this scared."

"Scared? Me? I'm not the one hiding in a cloud! Face me like a man!"

Naruto was a little surprised, when Ichigo began to spin his sword around by its hilt, dispersing the cloud around him.

"See? I can easily break apart your little cloud. You don't stand a chance!"

"Me? Hiding? Is that what you think? Man, you even talk like One-Eye! You think that's my only skill? Heh... Well, I could just reform the cloud... But I think I'll spare you the illusions. Though I don't know why you seem so against them, when you know such a stacked chick-"

Naruto had to quickly dodge back, blocking Ichigo's rush. Ichigo attacked, not letting up his swings.

Unfortunately, such a style was old news to Naruto, who was used to fighting Kenpachi.

So it was to Ichigo's surprise that Naruto cart wheeled behind him, and began to shout.

"Hado Number 4! White Lightning!"

Ichigo grunted, falling back a tad... Not expecting Naruto to blitz him, opening with a kick to the stomach.

When Naruto followed up with a hammer to the back of his head, Ichigo found himself face down in the cement.

"Man... This is all you got? You have so much reishi, that the Kido should have barely hurt you! Shit... Why don't you use it? If you fight like this... Well, you'll never be able to rescue that chick of yours!"

'Heh... That one got him.'

Naruto's smile grew, as Ichigo slowly stood, reishi pouring off him like steam.

"No one... Neither you, nor anybody else will stop me from rescuing Rukia."

Naruto barely had time to blink before Ichigo was on top of him, swinging his Zanpakuto like it was a toy.

And he most definitely did not expect a huge blast of energy to shoot out of it, mid-swing.

Naruto managed to dodge part of the blast... But he knew his side would be feeling it, later.

"Damnit! Stupid Naruto, getting here first! I'm so not lucky..."

The two combatants turned towards the noise, and Naruto's smirk grew.

"Hell yeah you're not lucky, Ikkaku! I got here first, I get to fight him! Just wait your turn, or something!"

Naruto could practically hear Ichigo's sweat drop.

"Well, you can fight the pig man over there, if ya really want to."

"No way! You can just tell that this guy is stronger!"

"Well, you'll just have to wait your turn..."

"I'll go after the ugly one... Such hideous looks need to be erased from existence..."

Naruto turned, and watched Yumichika approach Ganju, which quickly turned into Yumichika chasing Ganju.

He turned back towards Ichigo, who seemed baffled by the situation.

"Man... You guys just had to show up just when I really had him going! Now I'm gonna have to start insulting him all over again to get him worked up."

With that, Naruto began muttering something under his breath.

Being close enough to hear, Ikkaku jumped out of the way.

"Yo, bastard, speak up! I can't hear what you're mumbling over there!"

"... The sea barrier surges, March on to the south! Hado Number 31, Shot of Red Fire!"

Ichigo barely had time to dodge the odd ball flying at him... The ensuing explosion from it hitting the wall behind him knocked him off his feet anyway.

Ichigo sprung to his feet, dodging a stab to the head.

For the next few minutes, it was pure swordplay, with Ichigo slowly gaining the upper hand.

His Zanpakuto was just that much bigger then Naruto's, letting him overpower him and get in closer.

Naruto was also starting to slow down... With the way Ichigo had begun to pour reishi into his sword swings, something Naruto hadn't quite been able to master yet, he knew that the battle's favor had decidedly swung away from him.

Well, it wasn't actually him slowing down. It was that Naruto had started to reach his self-imposed limits. If he went too far... Well, he didn't want to think of what would happen if he revealed to much of his skill.

It wasn't helping that Ikkaku was standing on the sidelines, cheering Ichigo on.

Nor that Ichigo didn't even seem to be getting close to tired.

Naruto looked over to where Nanao was, standing in the shadow, apparently completely unnoticed by Ikkaku or his opponent.

Naruto decided to have one last attack, before handing the fight over to Ikkaku. If this didn't work, then the only way to win (at this point) would involve killing or severely injuring the boy. Oh, Naruto could do it... He knew that he could. But he didn't really want to have to do that.

"Bakudo Number 1: Restrain!"

Naruto began the chant as he ran, and the instant that it hit, Naruto got a clean swing in to the chest, before Ichigo managed to overpower the binding, with a strike that tagged Naruto rather deeply on the left arm.

"Heh... Well, I guess it's your turn up, Ikkaku. I could win... But I don't wanna kill the guy. Good fight, Ichigo... Have fun!"

With that, Naruto began to walk away.

Ichigo bum rushed him, planning on finishing the fight.

Only to meet Ikkaku's sword.

Nanao appeared at his side, and the two continued to walk.

"You're going to the 4th division."

It wasn't a question.

"Yeah, yeah."

Author's Notes: I'm not too experienced with writing fight scenes, so I hope it went down well. Advice on that would be appreciated.

I also tried to reasonably place power levels... The fight between Ikkaku and Ichigo was close, so I'd imagine it'd be the same for Naruto. For the same reason that Ikkaku's fight was close, too, even though Ikkaku could have gone much further.

But it's also important to remember that Ikkaku didn't go full out against Ichigo, limiting himself from his bankai. The same way that Naruto limited himself from actually using Amagumo's effects, as well as Shunpo. More will be revealed about this next chapter.

The Save Rukia arc is on in full swing. Naruto and Nanao are going to the 4th division now, but they'll meet up with the storyline again

I purposely didn't put that much emphasis on the goings on of Ichigo and co., because the story ain't really about them. Ichigo didn't have that many lines because the scene ain't focusing on him. But I hope it went believably... Naruto wasn't seriously fighting, and neither was Ichigo.

There was also some minor editing done, seeing as a few people misunderstood the way I was putting things, and thought I was nerfing Naruto. I edited it to reflect that, a bit.


	8. Chapter 8

IMPORTANT NOTE: I made a slight alteration to the end of the last chapter, which is also noted in the Author's Notes of that chapter. If you haven't seen it yet, you should probably double check it before reading this chapter.

Chapter 8

The second the two rounded the corner, Nanao turned to Naruto.

"Why did you let the Ryouka win?"

It wasn't even a question of 'if Naruto let the Ryouka win'... Naruto sighed, let go of the arm that Ichigo had cut, and stood up straighter.

"What, and go all out on the kid? He needs to keep on going, and rescue Rukia. Even you agree something fishy is going on with the higher-ups, and maybe that guy will be what shakes 'em up."

The two continued to walk in silence, before Nanao spoke up again.

"But why go so easy? You didn't use Shunpo, nor take advantage of your shikai. I've seen you engage in much fiercer fights with Kenpachi!"

This time, Naruto stopped walking. Nanao stared as Naruto began to look more serious then she had ever seen him before.

"I did it for the same reason Ikkaku is likely going to let the kid win... Because I'm happy where I am. That kid was good, no question... He was most definitely at the vice-captain level. I could have taken him down, sure. But then, that would mean that people would see what I could do. And I'm happy where I am."

The answer perplexed Nanao.

'He's afraid of being forced into another division? How? That couldn't be done without taking me with him...'

Naruto answered Nanao's unasked question.

"Look... Yama-ji has been around for how long? 2000 years? If he really wanted to, I'm sure he could fix our entanglement. But, as it stands, he's happy with the current situation. It's the same thing with Ikkaku... The man will lose against the Ryouka, because if he wins, people might start taking second looks at him. If he or I started fighting at the level we're capable of... People WOULD notice.

"And... I don't want to leave ya. I'm happy with what I've got."

Nanao stood stunned, for a moment. She had never really thought that there situation was being LET to continue. In a way, she almost felt betrayed by the Soutaicho.

And even as she thought that, she immediately thought of how happy she was that it DIDN'T happen. That, if she was separated from Naruto... Her life would be entirely different. And she, too, was happy with what she had.

"Yo, Nanao-chan! I thought you wanted to get on over to the 4th?"

Shaken out of her reverie, Nanao fell in step with Naruto again.

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'Man, that was so lame! Stupid policies... I like fighting full out!'

Naruto was pissed. He knew he could have won the fight. At the level he was holding himself at... He could still have won. If he had stepped it up a bit, even just used shunpo... There would have been no problem.

But he couldn't. For the same reason Ikkaku couldn't.

'Man... I just know Yama-ji knows something about our connection that we don't. He always gets those weird knowing looks whenever we visit.'

Naruto liked the 8th. The people were friendly; Flower-taicho let him do whatever he wanted... And Nanao was there.

'I mean, sure, the Ryouka was good. Give him a little time, and he'll be great! But all he could do was swing his sword really hard! And put out a huge aura of reishi...

'This is who I'm putting my hopes on to rescue Rukia? Maybe one of his friends can do it... Maybe.'

Naruto wasn't quite sure why he felt so vehement that Rukia needed to be rescued.

He barely knew the girl, after all.

It probably had to do more with the circumstances then the situation itself. Naruto knew what it was like, to be victimized by circumstance.

It was clear to Naruto, at least, that the Ryouka was a Shinigami in his own right.

The guy had a shikai! And it was most definitely NOT Rukia's. This meant that he was running on his own power...

Which meant that Rukia was imprisoned, and going to be executed, for a crime that wasn't being committed.

The boy's power was his own, not Rukia's.

'Next time I see the guy... I'll step it up. That fight sucked... I let up so much to give him the win. But, I can feel the potential. Give him time, and he'll be good. He DOES have skill with Zanjutsu... He just needs to flesh out everything else.'

Naruto broke out of his thoughts when he and Nanao arrived at the 4th HQ.

'Man, I hope I get a decent healer this time... I always seem to get that guy who just kept on dictating his diary out loud...'

In hopes of avoiding that same healer, Naruto just pointed at the first 4th Division member he saw walking by.

One Yamada Hanataro.

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"You! That guy! I need some healing!"

"What? M-Me? I err, have to go attend to the prisoner, now."

Naruto's smile got even bigger, as he walked over and grabbed Hanataro by the arm.

"Ah, it's ok! Here, you know what? Nanao-chan and I will escort you over to where the prisoner is, after ya heal me! What with those Ryouka running around, it isn't safe to go by yourself."

Naruto dragged Hanataro out of the building, with Nanao following behind. Nanao shook her head, not in the least surprised by Naruto's antics.

After all, he had just gotten the two of them an in to be where the Ryouka would be heading.

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"Damn! Ya know, you're a lot better at healing then I would have guessed, just by looking at you. My arm feels great."

The three continued to walk, before Nanao paused.

"Hanataro... If you are to attend the prisoner, why are you heading over this way? Rukia was transferred over to the Shrine of Penitence..."

"She was? When did that-"

Before Hanataro could finish his sentence, they were interrupted by an 11th division squad running through.

"You! Have you seen the Ryouka?"

The squad leader was a typical 11th division member... That is, until Naruto turned around. And the man recognized one of his captain's 'sparring partners'.

"Well... We might have-"

And again, someone interrupted the scene.

This time, it was Ichigo and Ganju running at them.

"Go. I'll handle this... Go do something else."

Naruto watched the two Ryouka grind to a halt in front of him, even as the 11th division squad ran away. They may be idiots... But they tended to respond to fear. And they had seen Naruto fight their captain.

"You again? What the hell are you doing here?"

"Well, if it ain't Blondie and his friend the Pigboy again. Did Ikkaku and Yumichika let ya go already?"

Just by looking at the two, Naruto could see how tired they were. Ganju seemed better off, but Ichigo looked ready to pass out.

"Let us go? I kicked Ikkaku's ass, just like I kicked yours!"

Ichigo was visibly pissed off, when Naruto began to laugh.

"Heh... Look, I've fought you, and I've fought Ikkaku. You're strong, there's no doubt about it... But neither I nor Ikkaku were going all out. Hell, I didn't even use my shikai abilities!"

"Bullshit. I kicked your ass fair and square-"

Ichigo was interrupted by Naruto drawing and releasing his sword.

Even as cloud filled the area, and completely isolated Ichigo and Ganju from sight, they could hear Naruto's voice, seemingly coming from all directions.

"Please... With this kind of advantage, you would have stood no chance. Hell, I didn't even use shunpo! I've fought your type before... But, there's something I gotta know. And you, Blondie... You're going to help me figure it out."

Naruto began to laugh, even as the illusions started forming.

He was mildly disturbed, at what Ganju muttered.

"... Sister?"

Then again, Naruto had seen a picture of Shiba Kuukaku... So he could kind of understand.

That still didn't make it any less creepy.

Unfortunately for Naruto, Ichigo didn't say anything revealing about what he was seeing. But from the way he was blushing, it was probably highly entertaining.

Naruto shunpo'd behind Ichigo, and bashed him over the head. Repeating the same with Ganju, he dispersed his cloud, and motioned Nanao over to help him tie the two up.

"Now... we just need a place where we can talk to them in peace, without anyone interrupting..."

Hanataro surprised Naruto, by speaking up.

"We... We could use the tunnels. I know my way around them..."

"Tunnels?? There are tunnels around here! Nanao, why didn't I know about these tunnels?"

"Well... I decided that you would probably use them for your... pranks. And since I don't particularly enjoy wandering through the water tunnels, I decided that it would be better for everyone if you didn't know about them."

"... I guess I can understand. But damn, those would be useful. Hanataro, where exactly do these tunnels go?"

"They go all over Seireitei..."

"... Perfect."

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'Why are we doing this?'

Nanao was confused. That was pretty much the norm for her in the last few days.

None of her actions made sense to her.

None.

She didn't understand why she was just letting Naruto break all the most basic rules of Soul Society. He had just captured two intruders, and now he planned on taking them to where they wanted to go?

Why?

And why was she helping?

She knew that she could stop Naruto.

He would listen to her.

He always did.

But right now, the words just wouldn't come.

So Nanao just followed behind Hanataro and Naruto, who was dragging the two Ryouka behind him.

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'Perhaps it's all the things I've been thinking of, lately...'

Nanao looked on, as Hanataro healed the injured Ryouka, and Naruto stood guard.

Nanao knew Naruto. She knew what he was capable of, just as she knew what she was capable of.

And, she not ashamed to admit it, that Naruto was stronger then her. A better leader, as well... Or at least, a better leader of men. She was a much better leader in the technical aspects.

They made a good team. Each balanced out the other's flaws.

But apparently Naruto was worried about them being separated. Nanao had taken the connection as a given... So why should Naruto worry about it?

Unless, that is, there was something TO worry about.

Nanao knew that most of the entanglement was on Naruto's part. They had discovered it tied up parts of his reishi, more so then the amount of hers that was there. How much, they didn't know... But Naruto had the brunt of the entanglement.

It was really like Naruto's reishi wrapping itself around hers... So she supposed that Naruto would understand things about it that she might not know.

So if he was worried... Well, that made Nanao worried.

Life without Naruto would be... different. Nanao didn't want to go back to life without Naruto.

But with the way things were going... It was a distinct possibility.

They were aiding and abetting invaders! Clearly, a criminal offense!

But she did nothing to stop it.

What could she do?

Even though this was clearly a criminal offense, it somehow felt like the right thing to do.

Nanao knew the laws, rules, and regulations of Soul Society like the back of her hand. And the way things were going was NOT how they were supposed to.

This was conflicting. The old Nanao would have just left it up to her Captain to decide, going with what he decided.

The new Nanao... Well, she just left it up to Naruto to decide, going with what he did. Not a huge change, really... Though she would have most definitely protested it if Naruto decided to take the stance that the Chamber of 46 were right.

Because they weren't.

Things were... weird, of late.

Nanao and Naruto stayed away from Captain politics, mainly associating with the various vice-captains and upper seats. But even they had heard of some of the... Odd... activities that Captain Ichimaru Gin seemed to be getting up to.

Nothing really made sense.

So Nanao continued to ponder, over thinking and overanalyzing, even as the Ryouka began to stir.

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"What the hell? Where are we?"

'That Ryouka would fit right in with the 11th, with how loud and angry he seems to be...'

"Calm down, Blondie... Geez, ya try to help a guy out, and he starts yelling at ya?"

The banter was comforting to Nanao... If Naruto was this at ease, then he felt he had the situation in hand. He was treating the Ryouka the same way that several had treated HIM before he became old enough and skilled enough to kick their asses. Or at least make a decent effort at it, in Kenpachi's case.

"Look... Something's fishy about Rukia's arrest, and I wanna see what happens if you can rescue her. So I'm going to have my friend Hanataro here lead us to where you need to go."

"How can we trust you? You just kidnapped us! You're the enemy!"

Nanao was getting sick of the bickering... The faux-shinigami clearly was not the trusting type.

"Look. We are taking you to where you need to go. Stop arguing like little children, and follow us."

With that statement, Nanao gestured to Hanataro, and began to walk.

"Well? You heard the lady... Get moving."

Nanao didn't even turn around, even as she heard Ganju whisper something to Ichigo.

"That's one forceful lady..."

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'Man... I wish I had known about these tunnels before...'

They seemed to go on forever.

'Why did I tell Nanao that stuff about our connection? Now she's going to be all distracted trying to figure things out! I should have made up some BS...'

But he didn't. Nanao had asked him an important question, and had all but demanded a serious answer. And Naruto... Well, he felt Nanao deserved to know.

So they walked.

And the Ryouka followed.

'That guy... I can feel he's stronger, already. I don't know how he did it... But his Reishi feels more... focused. Sharper. Weird... He's got talent, for sure. He could definitely defeat a few of the fukutaicho, as it stands. The one's I know the powers of, at least. Kira's so secretive over what his Zanpakuto does... But Renji? This guy could take Renji out, I think. Probably Iba, too... Iba's too generalized. And that mustache of his... Ugh.'

Naruto continued to ponder the potential 'Who would win?' matches between what he knew of his fellow Shinigami, and with what he knew of the Ryouka-Shinigami.

And while Naruto figured a few of the Vice-Captains could wipe the floor with him (Momo's pink balls of doom? Rangiku's ash? Yachiru's insanity?), the Ryouka came up rather favorably against most of the others.

Naruto continued to ponder, even as they got closer to their destination.

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"We're... We're here. This is as far as the tunnels go."

"Well, then... I guess we leave and see what Blondie here can do, eh?"

Though Nanao nodded in agreement, both Ichigo and Ganju looked at Naruto questioningly.

"Ya can't feel it? Someone up there is waiting on ya to arrive. I think I know who it is... But then, it's stronger then what I remember him being..."

"You are correct, Naruto... Ryouka, is there any reason that Abarai-fukutaicho would be waiting for you?"

At both Ganju's and Ichigo's odd stares, Naruto elaborated.

"Renji. Did you piss Renji off? I know you've met him... He was sent to pick up Rukia..."

At seeing Ichigo's angry expression, Naruto knew there was a story here.

"Well, looks like ya do know him. What are ya waiting for? Get on up there and fight him!"

Ichigo and Naruto stared at each other for a moment. The moment stretched out into a minute, before Ichigo looked away.

"I don't need your help."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. I wanna see this fight, damnit! I had to miss Ikkaku throwing the fight against ya... I don't wanna miss this."

Ignoring Ichigo's protests that no, he had in fact kicked Ikkaku's ass, Naruto finally got the Ryouka out of the tunnel, leaving behind Hanataro, Nanao, and himself.

"Nanao... Can ya do that masking kido of yours? And then... Let's get some front row seats..."

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'Woah. Renji's improved. And he's gotten a lot more... angsty. I hate angst. Renji still ain't quite there... He's got the potential, though. But his Zanpakuto's abilities are so lame...

'But that Ryouka... Woah. If Renji improved a little... Blondie improved A LOT. How the hell did he get that much stronger that quickly? All we were doing was walking...'

The fight had proved as entertaining as Naruto had hoped. In the end, Ichigo was left standing. Not that Naruto was surprised. Well, he was surprised, but not by that.

No, it seemed as if EVERYONE was training.

'That's it... After we get Ichigo healed up, unless someone REALLY fun pops up, I'm heading out to train. That Ramen-bowl is sooooo close... I can almost taste it.'

Hanataro had retrieved Ichigo and began healing him almost immediately, even though Naruto could see the poor boy was exhausted.

"Well, what do we do now?"

Naruto looked over at Nanao.

This was one of the stranger things about their relationship, of late.

Naruto knew that Nanao had a thing for authority, and whatnot... But he had long been used to Nanao being in charge.

But more and more of late, that had been changing.

Now, Nanao seemed ready to follow his suggestions... Just as readily as she followed Shunsui's.

She, of course, didn't let him do whatever he wanted. But... He seemed to be making more of the decisions.

'Meh... Whatever. I'm not going to complain.'

"Well... I want to wait until the boy is healed, and gets up the stairs. We'll watch a little longer... then we have to train. I'm close to Bankai... I can taste it. How're you coming along with yours?"

"... I am very close, too. I have a few more strategies to test out, before I'll be sure of it... But I am close."

"Good... Good."

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"... Nanao, there is no way on earth we're leaving. None. I am NOT missing this fight."

"... Somehow, I'm not surprised."

"Hey, don't be angry that Kenpachi showed up just as were about to leave! Now, come on... Yachiru is over there. Let's talk to her, see what she knows."

They had gotten Ichigo healed up, and sent him up the stairs.

Just as Naruto and Nanao were about to leave... They realized that Kenpachi's reishi was very close.

It's hard to track Kenpachi by his reishi, simply because there was so much of it that got dispersed everywhere.

But... There was no way Naruto was going to miss this.

Because, surprise, surprise, Ichigo had seemingly gotten stronger AGAIN after waking up from the Renji fight.

'Man... If it worked like that for me, I'd be able to kick Yama-ji's ass by now, after all the times I've fought One-Eye.'

"Oohh! Kiroi-Kiroi and Nanao! Are you here to watch Ken-chan fight?"

"... Yeah, Pinky... That Ryouka should give him a fun fight... I've been watching him for a while now."

"Don't call me Pinky, Shrimpy-chan! I still have those baby pictures of you! You should respect your elders!"

"You called me names first, Yachiru! If ya don't want me to call you a name, don't call me one!"

Yachiru took offense to being told she was wrong.

It took Nanao getting involved to remove Yachiru's mouth from where it was gnawing on Naruto's head.

Even as they settled down, the fight got more and more interesting.

Sure, no one was surprised to see that Ichigo couldn't even hit Kenpachi. It was even funny, how easy that Kenpachi tossed the boy around.

But... Ichigo got back up. Just as Kenpachi thought it was over... Ichigo got back up.

Stronger then he was at the start of the fight.

'What the fuck? That doesn't make any goddamn sense! How did he do that?'

Strong enough that Kenpachi took off the eye patch.

Giving Nanao a comforting pat on the shoulder, knowing that Kenpachi's sudden rush of reishi would probably always upset the woman, Naruto settled down to focus completely on the fight.

'Their aura's... There's something odd about Ichigo's...'

Something really odd. It seemed to take the form of a... mask?

Just as Naruto was about to point it out to Nanao, and ask what she thought, the fight ended.

Unsurprisingly, Ichigo hit the ground.

But, to all the watchers EXTREME surprise, Kenpachi wasn't long in following him.

'That guy... That's it. I gotta train. That was insane... How did he get so much stronger, so quickly? Hell, he played One-Eye's game! Fought him the exact same way that Kenpachi fights! And, even if he himself went down... He took out Kenpachi! I gotta go train!'

Yachiru had dropped down, picking up and carrying away Kenpachi.

Naruto and Nanao watched as the cat that they had seen earlier, the one that Nanao thought was Shihouin Yoruichi, appear next to Ichigo.

When the cat looked up and waved a paw at them, Nanao turned and smiled triumphantly at Naruto

"Really. Just an ordinary cat, is it?"

"Fine, fine. You're right; it's not an ordinary cat. Can we just go train now-HOLY CRAP!"

Nanao turned to see what caused Naruto's exclamation... Only to see that the cat had become a woman.

A hot woman. A hot, naked woman.

Nanao grabbed Naruto's arm, and shunpo'd away before his nose erupted in blood...

Oh, they were going to train, all right... If Naruto thought he could get away with ogling strange naked cat-women...

And, all the while, Nanao didn't even notice how jealous she was feeling...

Author's Notes: Yup, Naruto now has the motivation to get bankai... After watching power jump after absurd power jump from Ichigo, he's getting antsy to get stronger himself.

I didn't go into details on the fights, because everyone knows how they go. Why reiterate? Especially cuz it ain't Naruto or Nanao fighting.

The two won't be there for the scene where Ichigo first faces down Byakuya, at the shrine of penitence... But they'll be there for when its time to throw down.

Also, there was minor concern that I was nerfing Naruto, after his first fight with Ichigo. I ain't, but Naruto was afraid to win the fight, for the same reason Ikkaku would be.

Also, he WANTS Ichigo to keep on going, so he not only got a fun fight, but also an alibi out of the situation. No one can say that he didn't at least try...

Finally, I had noticed, of late, that Nanao hadn't been acting quite Nanao like... So I decided to explain why. She's very, very confused at the moment.

And it'll only get worse later.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

'Come on... Reach for it... Reach for it... Almost got it-'

"Naruto. There is an emergency vice-captains meeting. We have to go."

'-Crap! So close!'

The second Naruto had made it back to the HQ, he had begun training.

The ramen bowl was closer then ever, and Amagumo was cheering him on in his head.

And after only about 10 minutes, Nanao comes barging in.

"Aw, man! I was almost there, Nanao-chan!"

Just as Naruto almost reached that stupid floating Ramen Bowl.

"Well, we have to go. It's apparently important."

"All right, all right... But after that, we come back and train!"

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"... Captain Aizen is... dead?"

"Yes... He was found, stabbed by his own Zanpakuto."

"... He committed suicide?"

"He was found, stabbed by his own Zanpakuto... About twenty feet up, attached to the side of a building."

"Oh. How is Momo taking it?"

"Not... Not so good."

The two walked back to their Division Headquarters in near silence. When they did speak, it was in hushed whispers.

Both were in shock. Who among the Ryouka had the power to kill a captain?

"Is one of the Ryouka that strong? I mean... The Blonde one, Ichigo... He was the strongest. And he was with us. The cat... Yoruichi... She was watching the fight too, I think. There were what, 3 others that we saw fly through the sky?"

"Make that two. I talked with our captain... While we were gone, one of the Ryouka attempted to run through our Headquarters. He took down Enjoji with ease, and was stopped by Shunsui-taicho. Apparently, the Ryouka was actually a pretty nice guy, if determined."

"So, there were two left?"

"Shunsui-taicho also made mention that one of the Ryouka was actually a Quincy, and engaged Kurotsuchi-taicho."

"A Quincy? And he fought that creep? Did he kill him? Please say he killed him!"

"... No. The Quincy did defeat Kurotsuchi-taicho, but was then later captured by Tousen-taicho... Right about the time that we left the scene of Kenpachi's fight."

"So... It must have been the last one left who did it..."

"If it was one of the Ryouka, that is..."

"Yeah..."

Neither wanted to contemplate the idea of treason among the ranks.

The obvious choice- Ichimaru Gin- was something that neither wanted to believe.

Gin WAS Aizen's fukutaicho for a good amount of time... But still, he'd be the only one among the captains that they could suspect.

And even then... it didn't make much sense.

Or so they hoped.

The two arrived back at their HQ, and immediately went to train.

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"Pawn to B7."

"Rook to B7."

The game was intense.

"Knight to C5."

"Queen to D3."

Well, Nanao looked intense... No one else could see her opponent.

So, to most, watching her seemingly play a game of chess against herself would have been quite the odd sight.

"Pawn to A6."

"Knight to A4."

She was close.

Oh so close.

She had gotten to this junction many times before... She knew this part of the game was the crux to her win. She had to take down that knight, before it moved in and got her king.

That's what happened every other time that she had made it this far.

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'Steady... Stay calm. Ya just have to wait for it to get closer...'

Naruto, on the other hand, would make for a more normal sight.

'Come on... Closer... Closer...'

He looked to be meditating. Those who knew him would not be that surprised to see him meditating holding a pair of chopsticks. You never knew when you were going to happen upon ramen, after all.

Normally Naruto would just be chasing the bowl around.

But this time... He decided to try something different.

He'd wait for the bowl to come to him... And then grab it.

'And then... I'll eat that sonuvabitch!'

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She was on game three now.

The first one was close.

The second was a stalemate. Close enough to a victory that she thought it counted… But her sword thought otherwise. She needed the full win.

Now... She knew this one was it.

"Knight to E5."

"Rook to D7."

"Queen to D7."

"Bishop to C3."

She was winning.

All she had to do was seal the deal.

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'Ok... It's within range.'

The bowl was floating ever closer to Naruto's still form.

'Slowly... Slowly reach for it.'

Naruto's hand, the one that was chopstick-less, began to lift.

Slowly, ever so slowly... It reached out.

'That Ramen... It smells so good!'

So focused on the bowl... Naruto didn't notice the aura that was starting to form up around him.

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And neither did Nanao notice the aura that was starting to form up around her.

"Rook to A5, Check."

"King to B2."

Because she had the game right where she wanted it."

"Bishop to C3, Check."

"King to C2."

The air was beginning to swirl around her...

"Queen to D2... Mate."

... And as her Zanpakuto's king tipped over, the sword itself leapt into Nanao's hand, from where it rested to the side.

And she spoke.

"Defend me from all of my enemies, Kawaru Buogoheki!"

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"YES! The Ramen Bowl is mine!"

The bowl was in hand.

The chopsticks were lowered in.

And Naruto... Naruto took a bite.

The second he swallowed that first bite... The bowl disappeared.

In its place, his Zanpakatuo appeared his hand.

It sizzled with energy, with lightening swirling around it.

And even as it changed shape, a phrase came into his head.

"Shock all who oppose me, Raien Amagumo!"

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From where Shunsui sat, on the other side of the hall from Naruto and Nanao's rooms, he could only think one thing.

'Perhaps... They WILL be ready for the times to come.'

2 days were left... Until the execution.

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"Hmmm... Well, given the abilities our Bankai seem to have... We shouldn't have to modify our old tactics that much. In fact, we'll be able to take advantage of Amagumo's cloud that much more. That's good..."

"... Err, Nanao... You DO remember the pressing issue at hand here, right?"

"Naruto, I've already told you; just because you ate that bowl of ramen, doesn't mean that there's now a gaping hole in your mindscape. If it's worrying you so much, meditate tonight! We have training to do now!"

"... Yes, Nanao-chan."

After achieving Bankai, Nanao felt changed. More at ease... more confident. Like she had found something that was missing, that let her justify her actions.

It gave her... a oneness of purpose.

Her doubts were cast away... She WAS making the right choice. What was going on in Soul Society was wrong, and perhaps what she was doing would help fix it.

But to do nothing, or worse, aide the execution... She couldn't do that.

No, she understood better now.

She would do as she must.

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Naruto, on the other hand, was merely given more questions.

He could feel something different in his reishi. And he wasn't sure how he felt about it.

Normally Nanao would be the first to pick up on things like this, so it confused Naruto that Nanao didn't seem troubled in the least.

Before Naruto released his Zanpakuto, their reishis had been a mess, entangled like a knot of yarn. Snarled together, Naruto would end up dragging Nanao wherever he wanted to go.

After achieving Shikai, though... Something changed. Instead of being a gnarled mess... The entanglement became cleaner. Instead of being knotted... It seemed more like Naruto's reishi was just wrapped up around Nanao's. Even he didn't know quite how much of his reishi was tied up in holding Nanao's in place within him, but he knew there had to be a heckuvalot, seeing as one would expect more reishi out of the Kyuubi no Kitsune.

Now, though... Now it was different.

If Naruto had to liken it to anything, after he had achieved Shikai the entanglement would have been like a roll of paper towels, with Naruto's reishi wrapped up in enumerable layers surrounding Nanao's.

Now... Now it felt more like the reishi was... twisted together. Like two flower stems wrapped around each other, or something.

'Gah! Flower-taicho must have gotten to me more then I expected, if I'm making analogies like THAT!'

Regardless, it made him nervous.

Especially because he was starting to feel some of that excess energy, that had been pent up before, beginning to resurface.

"Naruto! I never thought I'd have to say this, but less thinking, more training!"

Yeah... Nanao was acting a lot weirder.

And that didn't help much for his peace of mind.

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The day of the execution was at hand.

But much was amiss.

First was the fact that Kenpachi was clearly in a fight with SOMEONE at the moment.

And, if Nanao was guessing correctly, it was Captain Tousen, of the 9th division.

Which made absolutely no sense whatsoever.

The second thing that was amiss was that Nanao and Naruto weren't at the execution site yet.

An unexpected emergency on a hollow-cleansing mission the night before caused a massive amount of paperwork that had to be done.

So Shunsui had left without them.

Now, finished with the work, they discovered the third thing that was amiss...

"HOW THE HELL DID THAT RYOUKA GET EVEN STRONGER!? IT WAS JUST THREE DAYS, FOR GODSSAKE!"

... Apparently Ichigo was causing a ruckus over at the execution, and was putting out an aura that was noticeably stronger then it was a few days ago.

And, while they ran towards the execution grounds... Nanao noticed something else.

"Naruto... There are at least 3 Captain level reishi's heading in this direction..."

"That's... not good."

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The tension was palpable, filling the air.

Enormous Reiatsu was being exerted all over Seireitei, most centered on the execution hill.

It made sensing individual reishi hard for Nanao, but still doable.

"The reishi have become more distinct, Naruto... One of them is way far out, but most definitely heading this way. The second just ran past us... I believe that it was Captain Soi Fon. But the third..."

"The third one is right here, Nanao-han."

The two twirled around, to where the voice was located.

Only to see the smiling visage of Ichimaru Gin, holding his zanpakuto loosely in his hand.

Naruto's reishi flared up, stunning Nanao. For the last day or two, he'd been much less himself... More like her, oddly enough. And at the mere site of Ichimaru Gin, Naruto reverted to himself, ready to kick ass and take names.

Nanao started to worry... It was clear that Naruto was going to attack Gin. But then, it was also clear that Gin had shown up to fight them to begin with.

'But do we stand a chance against a Captain?'

Before she could ponder that, Naruto flared up his reishi, recondensed his aura back within him, and rushed towards Gin.

"Cloud the Heavens, Amagumo!"

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'How... How is he blocking and dodging everything?'

The fight, if one could call it that, was almost entirely one-sided.

To an outside observer, it may not seem so, as it looked like Naruto was on the offensive the entire time.

But Naruto knew Gin was just toying with him. He could see it in his grin, in the casual way he defended all of his strikes, while occasionally launching some of his own.

'I know he's had a lot of openings... Why hasn't he taken them?'

Naruto was fighting as hard as he could. Gin hadn't even bothered leaving the cloud, giving Naruto all the advantages he could possibly have.

And it still didn't seem to be enough.

Attack after attack, swing after parry after riposte... Nothing penetrated Gin's guard.

And Naruto was getting angrier just looking at Gin's smiling face.

It bothered him, though... Why was Gin just playing with him?

He didn't even look to be trying!

And then... it hit him.

'He's... He's stalling us! Why the hell is he bothering to stall us?'

Naruto's blood ran cold.

'Does that mean he really IS trying to kill Rukia for some reason? That maybe he was the one who killed Aizen, too?'

"Nanao! We can't wait any longer! He's just stalling us... I'll have to use it now..."

Naruto didn't want to risk using his Bankai so early. It was brand spanking new after all... He'd only had a day to train with it!

But it was his only choice.

"Ban...Ka-AAHHHHH!!"

"Ikorose, Shinsou."

Naruto, stunned, slumped to his knees, with Gin's extended Zanpakuto stabbing him through his stomach.

"Well don't that beat all? You thought I was about to letcha use Bankai, Naruto-han? I suppose all that's left is to-"

"Ban... KAI!"

Gin, interrupted, slowly turned around.

Only to have to quickly deflect a Kido blast to the face.

Before him stood Nanao, putting out a reiatsu that had dwarfed anything Gin had expected possible from her.

And she was pissed.

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"Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! On the wall of blue flame, inscribe a twin lotus. In the abyss of conflagration, wait at the far heavens. Bakudo #63: Twin Lotus Blue Fire, Crash Down!"

Nanao was in a state of cold rage. She had never been quite as angry in her entire life as she was right now.

And that rage fueled her reishi, making her stronger.

One of the single most satisfying moments of her entire life would be the sight of Ichimaru Gin actually opening his eyes in shock, if even a little, at her initial attack.

This time, it was Nanao who was on the pure offensive, attacking nonstop.

After her initial kido, she rushed in close, Zanpakuto poised to stab.

Purely offensive, with no attempt at any kind of defense.

It made no sense to Gin, who was quite off balance at the moment anyway... So, he decided to do the logical thing, knowing what he did about Nanao's shikai.

After all... In shikai form, she couldn't really use zanjutsu... So if she was engaging him with her sword, it meant her shield wasn't up. Because her shield centered itself around her sword… If she could get close to him while swinging her sword, her shield was probably not there.

So, after twisting to the side to dodge her stab, Gin swung downwards...

... Only to meet complete resistance about a foot away from Nanao's head, causing his sword to bounce away as if blocked.

What was even more disturbing was that he only just now noticed Nanao mumbling out another kido...

"Sprinkled on the bones of the beast! Sharp tower, red crystal, steel ring. Move and become the wind, stop and become the calm. The sound of warring spears fills the empty castle! Bakudo #63: Thunder Roar Cannon!"

... It hit Gin directly, as he hadn't had the time to reposition his sword from his previous strike to block.

With a slight grunt, Gin fell back, stomach a little singed... But nowhere near as damaged as Nanao had hoped.

"Heh... Someone seems upset about lover-boy over there."

Gin's foxy smile infuriated Nanao as much as it did Naruto... And inexplicably, her reishi began to rise some more.

'Where is this girl getting all of that reishi from?'

Invisible to both Gin and Nanao... Something else was taking place. The reishi that linked Nanao to Naruto was intertwined, true... But the setup had changed.

The tangled knot it was at one time was now more like two flowers, with their stems wrapped around each other, or perhaps two ropes, braided together.

And the angrier Nanao got, the more she drew on her reishi... This caused more of her reishi to be pulled from the entwined portions, unraveling reishi that had been tied up for years.

But... it wasn't enough.

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Naruto sat on his knees, slumped over.

He could barely watch the fight, because he could tell where it was going.

It looked like Nanao had the upper hand... But that didn't matter.

Gin wasn't trying to win. He wasn't trying to kill them. He was just stalling, just delaying...

For what, Naruto didn't know.

Internally, he had cheered when Nanao first started her end of the battle.

It looked like she had Gin on the ropes!

But slowly... Well, nothing happened. Nanao would launch Kido, or attack, and Gin would block or dodge. He would make periodic attempts to break her shields, which were appearing all over the place just to stop him, but he had ceased to even look like he was concentrating on the fight.

And then... He felt it. Something was changing.

Before, blood had been pouring out of him slowly but steadily, and he could feel his reishi slowly waning. Medical attention would be rather important, but he still had quite a bit of time before it would be too late.

But... the longer the fight drew on... the more reishi he could feel he had.

It was weird... His reishi just started building up, and up, and up...

Naruto stood up.

The wound in his stomach gone.

He could FEEL the power within him... at levels he had never even contemplated. It was as if... something had unlocked within him.

But even as he looked past that... he could feel something missing.

A shriek of pain cut through the air.

Naruto's eyes shot up... and he suddenly realized what exactly had happened.

Somehow... All the reishi that had been tied up with Nanao... Was all his own again.

And even as Naruto looked on in shock, Gin managed to penetrate Nanao's bankai with a swift application of Shinso in the middle of a complicated attack sequence.

Nanao had tired herself out quite a bit, as far as Naruto could see... Apparently it was enough for Gin to break through her bankai's moving shields with his shikai.

But... Naruto wasn't thinking anything like that.

Oh, no.

If Nanao had been furious about Naruto being skewered... Naruto was fucking HOMICIDAL!

Even as Gin turned back towards Naruto, just feeling the rising reishi now... He heard something he most definitely did not want to hear.

"Ban...KAI!"

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If Naruto's reishi had been large before... Completely unleashed, it had been like Kenpachi's: Large, overpowering... Seemingly endless.

But after activating his Bankai... It was large, overpowering, and everywhere.

A storm cloud appeared, covering the area.

Whereas before, Amagumo's cloud had always been a fluffy white-grey... Raien Amagumo's cloud was a deadly black.

Gin stood still, waiting for Naruto to make his move. The illusions that he had oh so casually ignored, pictures of his past, pictures of her... Now they were even more real. More life-like. He could probably reach out and touch Rangi-

"The illusions are but the first part of Raien Amagumo's abilities, Ichimaru Gin. But before we're done... you'll have WISHED that you had decided to let yourself be distracted during my shikai!"

The air swirled around Gin, who had finally released some of his own reiatsu, using it to break up the cloud a little bit around him.

Within the cloud... He couldn't sense Naruto. Nothing. Nada...

'He's so lucky he did that!'

... And immediately raised his sword to block Naruto's opening attack.

Naruto and Gin held that pose for a second, Naruto's Bankai held against Gin's sealed Zanpakuto.

If Naruto's shikai caused his sword to shrink to a Kodachi... His bankai completely changed it.

Whereas before Naruto had a single sword... He now had a pair of Katar's, one for each hand.

Gin, in all his years, had never quite seen a weapon like that before. To him, it just looked like a blade attached to a rectangular hilt, with some of the hilt extending past the box-like part.

Though Naruto did look rather fierce, hands curled around the bottom of the hilt, causing the blades to rest on his knuckles, and extend outward from there.

The moment seemed to float by, with Naruto floating mid-air, one Katar being stopped by Shinsou, the other held up in the air. The shriek of metal on metal was ear-piercing, with Naruto's Katar looking ready to cut straight through Shinsou at any moment.

Gin was merely readying himself for when Naruto struck down with his other weapon... He most certainly did NOT expect a bolt of lightning to shoot from the cloud into the raised Katar.

And he definitely did not expect that lightning to channel itself, through Naruto, into him. Happening far too fast for him to react, Gin found himself blasted back into the stormy cloud.

And without even letting up, Naruto was upon him again, attacking ruthlessly. Gin had to block on instinct, letting his reflexes guide him. He couldn't sense the attacks- Hell; he couldn't sense NARUTO- until the very last second before a strike.

Naruto had him backed into a corner.

'Well, never thought I'd quite have to do THIS to anyone any time soon...'

Gin leapt up into the air, baring his sword to strike...

That is, until he felt the approaching reiatsu.

And Gin smirked that insufferable smile he always did.

Even as Raien Amagumo's cloud rushed up to meet Gin, Gin called out.

"Well, Naruto-han... It looks like our playtime is over. Don'tcha think it'd be better to be taking care of your lady friend over there? She's looking a mite out of it, ain't she?"

Naruto growled, and shook his head.

"Nanao's strong! She can take it! But you... We're finishing this!"

Gin leapt back again, still smiling.

"Ah, but Naruto-han... You have a new playmate on the way. I wouldn't want to interfere. That would be rude, after all... See ya!"

Naruto nearly roared in frustration as Gin used a long-distance Shunpo to escape.

And then he had to turn around, to face the person that Nanao had sensed so long back, now finally arriving.

Naruto quickly pulled his cloud back in, leaving his Bankai released, and shunpo'd to Nanao before whoever it was arrived.

Nanao looked to be in rather poor condition, lying on the side of the pathway with a number of minor wounds, culminating in the stab that Gin had gotten in on her side.

Naruto dropped down next to her, lifting her up a bit.

And the second he touched her... He felt his reishi reach out to her.

He felt his reishi reconnect with hers.

He felt it flow back to as it was, with more of his reishi going to support their connection.

He could see the immediate effects... Everything from Nanao's skin-tone to her wounds improved. It was as if her body was using his reishi to heal itself.

Nanao's eyes opened up, from where she had passed out a minute or two before.

And stunned Naruto when her hands reached behind his head, pulling him down into a deep kiss.

And when Naruto managed to pull away a second later, confused as all hell... He noticed the newest arrival onto the scene.

Already dazed, Naruto could only really think of one thing to say.

"Ya know, even seeing you now... I'd still say that Gin has the more fox like face."

Author's Notes: For a clarification on Bankai powers-

Nanao: Kawaru Bougoheki works exactly as it sounds- Moving shields. It has multiple stages, like Byakuya's, and she used only the first one in this fight. Basically, it creates moving multiple shields that can either react consciously or unconsciously. Imagine them looking like the shields that Yosho uses in Tenchi Muyo. It lets her attack with her sword itself, or with kido, or whatever, without having to worry about defense. It can be overwhelmed, but due to it working on its own, and not forcing Nanao to direct it all on her own, it is difficult.

Later stages will just be extrapolations or logical derivatives of that power that Nanao figures out how to use, or thinks up.

Naruto: Raien Amagumo creates a storm cloud with near perfect illusionary distractions. However, it also completely hides Naruto from all sense, and lets him access the storms most powerful weapon- It's Lightning bolts. He doesn't shoot them as a projectile (or rather, he hasn't yet figured out how to... I haven't decided anything on that yet), he channels the lightning through his strikes into explosive bursts. There's some more to it, but Naruto hasn't yet discovered it.

His Bankai also splits into a pair of Katar, which capitalize on his Hakuda skills.

I hope the Gin fight went down realistically... The only times Gin was not in complete control of the fight was when Nanao first unleashed her Bankai, and against Naruto at the very end.

Also... I've been hinting at how Naruto and Nanao are tied together for a while now, with the recent comments getting more and more blatant. Pretty much completely cleared it up here. Though... Yamamoto realized what exactly was going on wayyy long back, right after Naruto reached Shikai. If he had really wanted to, he could have broken the connection forcibly, and had Naruto placed in a different division as vice captain, or something. It wouldn't have been that hard... But, now, well... Things have changed.

Next chapter has their encounter with Komamura, as well as them arriving at the end of the Ichigo/Byakuya fight or a little after that.


End file.
